The Arizona Cardinals sent fans home from State Farms happy for only the second time this season. They beat the Cleveland Browns 38-24 on Sunday, ending a six-game losing streak.
What did we learn in the win?
Kenyan Drake balled out
Drake had not been all that effective since his debut with the team in Week 9 when he rushed for 110 yards and scored a touchdown on the team’s opening possession.
He turned in a career performance. He rushed 22 times for 137 yards and four touchdowns. He is the first Cardinals player to rush for four touchdowns in a game since Ronald Moore did it in 1993. He also caught a pass for nine yards.
With all the talk of getting David Johnson more involved, Drake made it so Johnson barely even touched the field. It is hard to argue, too.
Kyler Murray played better
Murray was 19-for-25 passing for 219 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 56 yards on eight attempts.
While he did have the interception, he looked much better. He was not sacked. He made quick, efficient decisions. He did not generate a single negative play on the afternoon as he was not sacked on the afternoon.
Cardinals exploited Browns’ porous run defense
The Cardinals had a very smart game plan against the Browns. They ran the ball against Steve Wilks’ defense. Cleveland entered the game allowing early five yards an attempt. The Cardinals took advantage. Not only did Kenyan Drake have a big game with 137 yards and two scores, the team combined for 226 rushing yards. Drake had his. Kyler Murray rushed for 56 yards, Christian Kirk had a 28-yard run as well.
“Something we’d seen on tape, we felt we could come downhill and get that rolling,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the game. “The O-line did a great job of getting us started fast and we just leaned on them the rest of the game.”
Patrick Peterson looked like Patrick Peterson
Peterson had not looked right all season until Sunday. Motivated by the opportunity to guard Odell Beckham Jr., he limited him to only 66 receiving yards on 13 targets and picked off a pass. He probably would have had a second as well if Baker Mayfield had not badly thrown a pass to the sideline.
More playing time for LB Tanner Vallejo
After playing well in limited action against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he earned more playing time. He split time at linebacker with Joe Walker. Vallejo played in most base sets before he left the game with an injury, while Walker played in sub packages.
The defense got banged up
Cornerback Kevin Peterson left the game early with an injury and was replaced by Chris Jones. Inside linebacker Tanner Vallejo left the game with a knee injury and did not return. Outside linebacker Haason Reddick, getting his first extensive action at the position, left with a groin injury.
Damiere Byrd came up big
Byrd has bounced back nicely. He played well early in the season. Then he got hurt. Then he was a healthy scratch two weeks in a row, not even playing the entire month of November. He led the Cardinals in receiving against the Browns, catching six passes for 86 yards. 51 of those yards came on one play.
Larry Fitzgerald involved early but not much after that
Fitzgerald had three catches for 42 yards in the Cardinals’ first possession of the game. He finished the game with three catches for 42 yards. He was only targeted twice after the first drive.
Late in the game, the Cardinals had a play designed for him at the goalline on third-and-goal, but the Browns defended it well and Kyler Murray had to throw the ball away.
Cardinals defense struggled against Nick Chubb
Kenyan Drake got all the fanfare but Chubb quietly was almost as productive as Drake was. He finished the game with 127 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He had four runs of over 15 yards.
Luckily, the Browns were playing from behind the entire game so they couldn’t lean more on him.
The losing streak is over
With the win, their six-game losing streak is over. They now have more wins than they did in all 2018. They won in their final home game of the season.
It doesn’t fix what has happened this season, but sending the home crowd home with a win is the way to end the year.
Expectations will be higher next year, though.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
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