Big Red Recap: Arizona Cardinals trounced in Atlanta
Dec 1, 2014, 1:40 AM | Updated: 1:40 am
It didn’t take long to figure out something wasn’t right with the Arizona Cardinals Sunday.
On the fourth play from scrimmage, Atlanta Falcons running back Steven Jackson busted through a hole on the right side, eluded two tacklers, and rumbled 55 yards all the way down to the Cardinals’ 1-yard line. It was the longest run allowed by the Cardinals defense all season long.
Four plays later, Matt Ryan hit Levine Toilolo on with a touchdown pass and the uphill climb commenced.
The Cardinals weren’t able to do much climbing themselves, losing 29-18 at the Georgia Dome.
The offense was non-existent for most of the game, scoring a cosmetic touchdown in the final minute. The defense didn’t look anywhere close to the unit that had carried Arizona to a 9-1 record before suffering back-to-back losses for only the second time in the Bruce Arians coaching era.
Ryan and receivers Julio Jones and Harry Douglas feasted on the Cardinals’ secondary. Jones had 189 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches; Douglas added 116 on nine receptions. Jackson became the first running back to have a 100-yard day against Arizona since early in 2013. In all, the Falcons torched the Cardinals for 500 total yards and held the ball for over 37 minutes.
On offense, the same problems that have plagued the Cardinals in recent weeks popped up again. The running game did nothing, although a lot of that was due to the fact that Arizona dug themselves a 17-0 deficit in the first quarter. Wide receivers didn’t consistently make plays. Jaron Brown deflected a catchable ball in the first quarter that was picked off by Atlanta’s Dwight Lowery. Michael Floyd had a huge fumble in Atlanta territory just when it looked like the Cardinals would fight back into the game.
And then — and stop me if you’ve heard this one before — there were injuries. Guard Paul Fanaika left with a high ankle sprain and didn’t return. Andre Ellington suffered a hip pointer in the first half, ending his day. And safety Tyrann Mathieu has what is being described as a cracked thumb. He also had his day cut short.
The Cardinals have employed the “next man up” philosophy with great success all year as a result of numerous injuries on both sides of the ball. The only problem with that, is eventually, you run out of men to fill the gaps.
The biggest injury of all has got to be one that occurred almost a month ago. The offense has gone into hibernation since Carson Palmer suffered a torn ACL in a win over the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 9. Drew Stanton struggled again Sunday, throwing two interceptions and consistently missing receivers.
His 3-yard touchdown pass to Stepfan Taylor with 1:05 left in the game snapped a streak of 170 minutes without an offensive touchdown.
The Good
Short list this week — Rashad Johnson’s 88-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter put the Cardinals on the board and temporarily gave them life.
The Bad
Everything else.
We’ve mentioned the offensive and defensive struggles, but the special teams got in on the act as well, allowing Devin Hester to return a punt 70 yards for an apparent score before it was nullified on a facemask penalty against Hester.
In the third quarter, Jones beat Patrick Peterson on a 41-yard completion. Peterson was flagged for defensive holding and replays showed Jones didn’t get two feet in bounds while making the catch. The Cardinals chose not to challenge a play that almost certainly would have been reversed. The Falcons continued the possession, which ended in a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bryant and extended Atlanta’s lead to 23-10.
Player of the Game:
Jones. Much was made of the matchup between he and Peterson, old rivals from their college days at Alabama and LSU, respectively. It wasn’t much of a matchup at all. Jones riddled Peterson all day long, racking up a career-high 189 yards in the process.
When It Was Over:
Pretty much after the first quarter. After Atlanta marched on a 71-yard touchdown drive on its first possession, the Cardinals went three-and-out and punted, which led to Hester’s return. After the facemask penalty and another personal foul on Atlanta, the Falcons started at the Arizona 32-yard line and cashed in with a Bryant field goal.
After Lowery’s interception, the Falcons scored again with Ryan hitting Jones on a 32-yard touchdown connection. Just 9:12 into the game, the Cardinals trailed 17-0.
He Said It
“We definitely have to look in the mirror. Hopefully, everyone takes this personal.” — Johnson
What’s Next
The Cardinals, who saw their NFC West lead decreased to one game over Seattle, return home to take on the Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Sunday.
