2018 was a year in which the Arizona Cardinals were on the wrong end of many blowouts. They were destroyed by the Denver Broncos on national television, and had similar results against the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Redskins.
This year, the team had been competitive in every game. Sure, there were a few that got away from them late in the contest (Carolina, New Orleans), but their competitiveness this year was one of the positives to build on.
Then came last Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. It appeared like the Cardinals were the same 2018 team that broke records for being awful. They were embarrassed in every phase.
This week, they’ll need to at least be very competitive throughout the game, or the hot seat under some coaches and executives might grow a lot warmer.
Let’s take a look at this week’s opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers:
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has done a masterful job in keeping his football team alive and in the playoff race. They started the season 0-3 and lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season. Most teams would have folded and collapsed, but Tomlin has kept his team afloat through tons of adversity.
This season is the fallout of the Antonio Brown debacle in the offseason. Tomlin is on his third-string quarterback and just recently had his team go through the ugly brawl with the Cleveland Browns on national television. After all of this, the Steelers are 7-5 with eyes on the postseason.
Considering the history between the Cardinals and Steelers, I’m sure the team would like nothing more than to put a huge dent into the Black and Yellow’s playoff hopes.
‘Duck’ Hodges taking over for Pittsburgh
Quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges has taken over as Pittsburgh’s signal-caller following the benching of Mason Rudolph. His first appearance was against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football back in October, where he lead the team to a 24-17 win. He is currently 2-0 since taking over for Rudolph with victories over the Browns and Bengals. It’s worth pointing out that he was very close to putting the Steelers into game-winning field goal range against the Baltimore Ravens until a fumble by wide receiver Juju-Smith-Schuster.
Speaking of Schuster, the Steelers star wideout has been ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals. The same goes for running back James Conner, who ruled himself out earlier in the week.
In theory, this should mean the Cardinals defense will have a much better outing and a chance to improve, but the crew under Vance Joseph hasn’t given fans a reason to believe that. Emerging players like Benny Snell and James Washington still pose a threat to Joseph’s defense, which may have hit its lowest point against the Rams.
The Pittsburgh defense is legit. If the Cardinals are to win this game, they’ll have to hold the Steelers’ injury-plagued offense back. But can they?
A Dominant Crew lead by Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick:
After being stunned by the New England Patriots on opening night, the Steelers defense has been very impressive. In an attempt to salvage what once looked like a lost season, the Black and Gold sent a premium first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
This move was heavily criticized. The Steelers had a very bad record at this point in the season, so many believed they were giving up a top-ten draft pick. Since then, however, Fitzpatrick has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Steelers. He has a whopping five interceptions on the year and has elevated the Pittsburgh defense to an elite level.
The Steelers defense is currently ranked sixth in points allowed with an average of 18.8 per game. They are a top-ten unit in most important defensive statistics.
For Kyler Murray and company, this provides a very difficult redemption opportunity. The offense was shut down by the Rams and Wade Phillips, and they’ll have to do much better this Sunday to prevent fans from leaving during the middle of the third quarter.
Speaking of Kyler Murray, the rookie signal-caller’s Rookie of the Year chances took a hit against L.A., but there is still four games remaining. Murray has been phenomenal in almost every game he’s played, so growing pains like last week were expected and understandable. Murray himself would never say that, of course, but taking aside last week’s performance, Kyler has been a top-ten quarterback in the NFL.
Once again, another divided fanbase to end the season:
Similar to the 2018 season, there are fans who wouldn’t mind seeing the team lose in favor of a better draft pick. Fans already have their sights set on prospects like CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy, but the Cardinals are certainly looking to finish the season strong.
Finishing the season with some victories will end the year on a positive note, which would be exciting going into the 2020 season. More importantly, it could be exciting and appealing to impending free agents. The Cardinals have the cap space to go on a shopping spree for the first time in seemingly forever, so showing some fight to close the season is important.
We all hope Kyler Murray rebounds this Sunday. He’s been a treat to watch and has struggled with the number of losses the team has sustained through the season.
If Vance Joseph’s defense is carved up by this depleted Steelers offense, more and more questions will arise about his future with the organization. Fans certainly haven’t been kind to him after his crew was crushed by the Rams.
Well, that’s all I’ve got. Next week is the team’s home closer against the Cleveland Browns, and that will be all she wrote for State Farm Stadium in 2019.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
