The Arizona Cardinals began the 2022 NFL regular season with a stinker. They fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs 14-0 in the first quarter and eventually lost 44-21.
There was very little good to take away from the game.
What did we learn after one game?
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
TE Trey McBride isn't quite ready
It was a surprise to see the Cardinals’ top pick inactive for the season opener after the optimism coaches have had about seeing him on the field this season.
It makes sense in a way. Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams are better options right now and Stepehn Anderson does things on special teams and has experience.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the game McBride still has a bit to improve on mentally. That will come, just not yet.
Cardinals had no answer for Chiefs' offense
Patrick Mahomes basically did whatever he wanted.
They scored touchdowns on their first two drives and only faced one third down.
Mahomes moved around, completed passes and found receivers open all over the field.
Cardinals thwarted by lack of offensive rhythm
The Cardinals require rhythm to get going offensively.
They went three-and-out on their first possession and were down 14 points.
Whether it was a protection breakdown, a penalty or a guy tripping and falling, they just were unable to make plays.
Top weapons invisible early
The first-half offense was James Conner and Greg Dortch.
Zach Ertz was not targeted in the first half, A.J. Green was targeted once and Marquise Brown twice (he had two catches).
By the end of the game, the Cardinals’ top pass-catching weapons in Ertz, Brown and Green had a total of 14 targets.
A glimpse at Rondale Moore's usage
Moore was inactive with a hamstring injury but the usage of Greg Dortch in his place suggests the prominent role Kliff Kingsbury promises. Dortch was targeted a team-high nine times and led the team with 7 catches and 63 yards.
He was used on screens and even down the field. Once Moore returns, it could be fun to see him with the ball in his hands.
Isaiah Simmons, Zaven Collins had struggles
Simmons is supposed to be a player to erase top pass-catching tight ends like Travis Kelce. Kelce ate him for dinner when matched up against Simmons. He finished with a game-high eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.
In fairness, Kelce beats pretty much everyone, but Simmons didn’t have a big game.
Collins had two tackles for loss but also looked lost at times and took a couple of bad angles.
No sacks, few plays on ball
The Cardinals failed to log a sack in the season opener. They only had two pass breakups in the game, both by Marco Wilson.
They did hit Patrick Mahomes six times, but they were unable to impact throws.
Bad practice habits?
Kliff Kingsbury suggested that the team needs to practice a little better and with a little more urgency.
“We’ve got to practice better, there’s no doubt,” he said postgame. “You can’t say you’re gonna do it on game day and not do it in practice.”
Kyler Murray said it is more about execution, but also alluded to “feeling yourself”, with perhaps the team believing in themselves a little too much.
Cardinals' problem was execution, not composure
It was an embarrassing loss, but one thing that didn’t happen was a loss of composure. While many have criticized Kyler Murray for the way he reacts to adversity in games, he and the rest of the team did not panic and did not overreact. They did not sulk. They continued to play and try to get back into the game.
However, they just couldn’t execute. Against a team like the Chiefs, they were going to have to be near-perfect. When they weren’t, they were overmatched with their shorthanded roster.
They aren't in a hole
Thanks to Week 1 losses by the Rams and 49ers, the Cardinals are not behind in the standings unless the Seahawks upset the Broncos Monday night.
