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Dealing Cards: Tie revealed good things, instills confidence in Cardinals

Oct 24, 2016, 5:30 PM | Updated: Oct 25, 2016, 12:52 pm

Arizona Cardinals defensive back D.J. Swearinger (36) celebrates his defensive stop after Seattle S...

Arizona Cardinals defensive back D.J. Swearinger (36) celebrates his defensive stop after Seattle Seahawks running back C.J. Prosise (22) falls short of a first down during the second half of a football game, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals felt like they should have beaten the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night.

They’re probably right.

The Cardinals were ahead of their opponent in pretty much every stat that matters, save for the scoreboard, which read 6-6 after 75 minutes of football.

And they know it.

“There are a lot of good things we did that game,” center A.Q. Shipley said Monday. “Physically, we moved the ball up and down the field. We left a lot of points out there.”

Eight different Arizona drives ended in Seattle territory, yet the Cardinals managed just six points. A blocked field goal, a turnover on downs and time running out before they could get a play off to end the first half all likely cost the team a few more points, at least. Do any one of those things different, and the Cardinals probably win in regulation.

At that point, their advantages — in yardage, time of possession and plays run — likely would have led to a victory and everyone would have felt pretty good. Because while it was not necessarily a pretty game, the Cardinals matched the physicality of one of the toughest teams in the league, and perhaps even topped it.

That’s why, according to guard Mike Iupati, it feels like a loss.

“But at the same time, a lot of great effort, as a team,” he said. “It’s just weird; when I was with the 49ers, we tied with the Rams. But things went forward for us and we were winning. It’s different — we’ve just got to keep working hard and finish.”

The 2012 49ers did tie the Rams, at home by a score of 24-24. The team went on to reach Super Bowl XLVII, where it fell to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.

So while the non-win stings for the 3-3-1 Cardinals, hope is not lost. In fact, there is now a healthy amount of optimism to go along with it.

“When you watch the tape, you see so many really, really good things,” head coach Bruce Arians said. “That’s a really good football team that was dressed in red last night. They had some poor plays in the special teams phase, but it is the ultimate team game for a reason. It takes all three phases to win a game.”

Offensively, the Cardinals were better than the Seahawks. Defensively, they were equally as good, if not a notch above. Special teams were a problem, however, and their failures short-circuited the entire effort. Watching the game film did nothing to shake the team’s confidence.

“I feel the same way,” defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. “The biggest thing is now that we watched it and corrected it and graded it, I can move on from it. Seattle’s a good team — they’re not going to make it easy on you; they’re going to find ways to put themselves in the ballgame — you take your hat off because they did a great job.

“But I’m proud of my guys. Watching tape, we played a good ballgame, especially on defense. I feel like we played the game we wanted to play, and the biggest thing is we’ve got to continue to do that going forward.”

Campbell pointed out that the Cardinals have another big opportunity coming up with a road game against the Carolina Panthers, who ended each of Arizona’s last two seasons in the playoffs. The Panthers enter the game at 1-5, though are coming off a bye week.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are banged up and bruised from a hard-fought game that didn’t quite go in their favor.

“It was bad,” Iupati said. “It feels like I got hit by a train. But, it’s all good. It’s part of football, and if you’re not sore then you’re not working that hard.”

That last line was said with a laugh, which may in part show where the Cardinals’ are at mentally. Disappointed with the tie? Sure. But not ashamed and not distraught. It is a confident team, with their belief only having been reaffirmed Sunday night. Asked if he learned anything from the tie, Arians said yes.

“I think we’re a very, very good football team,” he said. “I’m very confident of that.”

Iupati agrees.

“We are a good team,” he said. “We’ve just got to put everything together and keep working hard and finishing plays. Play like we’re capable.”

Injury update

There will be no official injury report until Wednesday, but Monday Arians provided some details on where his team is at.

Receiver Jaron Brown tore his ACL Sunday and will be placed on injured reserve, while fellow receiver Michael Floyd has a hamstring injury that Arians is hopeful will not keep him out of action.

Cornerback Patrick Peterson appeared to hurt his back Sunday, but continued to play. Arians said “he’s fine.”

Linebacker Alex Okafor strained his calf, which Arians said will keep him out of the Carolina game “for sure,” and tight end Darren Fells sprained an ankle during, but the coach is confident he’ll be fine.

As for receiver John Brown, who the team learned was dealing with a sickle cell trait last week, Arians said the hope is he’ll return this week.

“Most of it is muscle fatigue, and the soreness in his body,” the coach said. “Most of it is gone. We’ll work him out, weightlifting, do some things aggressively today and tomorrow and see how he does. Then, treat him again with what protocol we’ve gotten. A lot of fluid, oxygen, and see how he responds. He should be fine by Wednesday.”

Road warriors

It may come as a surprise, but last season the Cardinals actually had a better record (7-1) away from University of Phoenix Stadium than in it (6-2). Good teams win at home, but the best teams also play well on the road.

Going forward, six of the Cardinals’ final nine games will be played on the road, meaning if they are going to make a postseason run, they’ll have to do it with hostile crowds watching.

Their success in such situations last season has Arians confident they will be just fine.

“Very, because there are so many same faces,” he said. “I think we’ll be more ready for this game at 1:00 than we were at Buffalo.”

The Cardinals are 1-1 on the road this season, with a loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 and then a win over the 49ers in Week 5. After this Sunday’s battle in Carolina, the team will also make trips to Minnesota, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles.

The task of surviving the second half and making the playoffs may seem like a tall one, but the Cardinals feel up to the challenge.

“We’ve been playing good football,” Shipley said. “We weren’t us, as you would say, early in the first two games, three games, whatever it was — four games — whatever. But the last three, I think we’ve really been climbing and being more of what we can do.

“We’re confident; we know what we can do. We saw what we just did (against Seattle), and that was the No. 1 defense. Even though we didn’t score points, we physically — we played really well, physically. So going into the next part of the season, we know we’re well capable of getting this done.”

Tidbits

For the entirety of Bruce Arians’ press conference with the media Monday, you can (and should) click here.

– Arians was pleased with how receiver Michael Floyd played in catching five passes for 65 yards. A key third down drop on the first drive of overtime was costly, however, as it forced the Cardinals to settle for a field goal instead of possibly continuing on for a game-winning touchdown.

“Mike had a really good game, other than the drop,” Arians said. “He blocked really, really well and had a bunch of good third down catches, and obviously, the one drop.”

– Arians was understandably not pleased with how his kicking game fared Sunday, though when asked if if third-year pro Chandler Catanzaro has his full support, the coach answered with an emphatic, “Yes.”

– Tight end Ifeanyi Momah recorded his first two career catches Sunday. The 6-foot-7 player was targeted twice, and had a long of 27 yards.

“It was really exciting, my first NFL catch, so it’s been a long time coming,” Momah said. “I’m really happy with how I played yesterday.”

Momah said he isn’t sure if his role will grow in the future, but said his confidence has never wavered. Yet, stepping up for his team didn’t hurt.

“Of course, yeah, it helps out,” he said. “But it’s just expected. I plan on making big plays, and just carrying it out.”

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Dealing Cards: Tie revealed good things, instills confidence in Cardinals