The Arizona Cardinals finished the toughest game of their season as they took on a surging New Orleans Saints in one of the most hostile places to play at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The New Orleans Saints came into the game winners of five straight games against tough opponents in the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears. The Cardinals were a rising team in their own right, winning their last three games and scoring an average of 29 points per game in those victories.
However this was a game where reality completely smashed them in the face as they would go on to lose 31-9 in a raucous Saints’ environment as the victory Mardi Gras parade keeps rolling in New Orleans.
While losing to arguably the best team in the league isn’t the worst thing in the world, the Cardinals still looked like a team still trying to get the offense more in sync.
They had some good moments during the game and they had some bad moments as well. Here are the good, bad and ugly moments from the Arizona Cardinals vs. the New Orleans Saints game.
The good: The Cardinals with some first-half fight
The Cardinals came into the game as huge underdogs but surprised some people in the first half.
The defense played extremely well, limiting Saints quarterback Drew Brees to ten points in the first half. The Cardinals offense also moved the ball well going on two drives where they went 50 or more yards. The Cardinals weren’t able to score any touchdowns but quarterback Kyler Murray ran the offense well and played mistake-free football.
The bad: 3rd and 4th down efficiency
The Cardinals just could not get it done on third and fourth down going a combined 2-for-14 (14%).
Kyler Murray was extremely shaky as he was off-target on three short passes on third down one of which was a critical missed throw to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald at the Saints’ 13-yard line. The Cardinals would have to settle for a short field goal from Zane Gonzalez. The Saints are not the team that you want to continuously kick field goals against as they have an uncanny ability to move the ball downfield at will.
What will be discussed is the call from Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to go for it on fourth down with 7:36 to go in the third quarter. The Cardinals would rush running back Chase Edmonds up the middle of the Saints defense for no gain and would turn the ball over on downs inside of their own 30-yard line. That play would eventually lead to a 15-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Saints running back Latavius Murray.
That missed fourth down would set the tone for the rest of the day.
The ugly: The downward second-half spiral begins
After the failed fourth-down conversion from the Cardinals, the wheels completely fell off.
The Saints would go on to score three touchdowns and outgain the Cardinals 186 to 62 yards after the missed fourth down.
The Cardinals clearly looked and were absolutely confused in coverage all game. The tone absolutely shifted on the defense as safeties like Budda Baker took poor tackling angles and the reserve Saints players would even have huge chunks of yardage such as Saints running back Dwayne Washington who finished with three rushes for 38 yards.
This was a game where it seemed like every single Saints receiver was wide open and the defense had no answers at all against one of the best teams in the entire NFL.
What are your good, bad and ugly moments from the Cardinals vs. Saints game? Check out the Cards Wire on Twitter and Facebook and let us know!
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