ARIZONA CARDINALS

Arizona Cardinals offense showing improvement

Oct 25, 2012, 10:46 PM | Updated: 11:56 pm

Despite scoring 16 points against the Buffalo Bills and 14 points at Minnesota against the Vikings, the Arizona Cardinals offense has actually showed growth the last two weeks.

You may laugh at the notion, but check out the facts.

In the Cards’ first five games, Arizona averaged 273 total yards per game, 4.22 yards per play and 16 first downs.

In the Cards’ last two games, Arizona has averaged 344 yards per game, 4.95 yards per play and 19.5 first downs.

So while the scoring numbers aren’t where you would like them to be, the offense is headed in the right direction. It’s gone from almost NFL-worst to below average. They currently rank second-to-last in total yards per game at 293.4, compared to the 344 yards per game from the last two, which would rank 21st.

Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt discussed the improvement and need for all aspects of the offense to come together.

“I think we’ve had a lot of different players at different times because of injuries,” Whisenhunt said. “Fullbacks, quarterbacks, linemen, sometimes it takes time to get some form of continuity.”

Whisenhunt also pointed to the Cardinals shooting themselves in the foot, hindering their efforts to put points on the board.

“We’ve made too many mistakes that’s kept us from scoring,” he said. “We’ve turned the ball over countless times on the plus side of the 50-yard line.

“Our guys are working at it, our goal is to continue to try and get better. Hopefully it will start meshing, be nice if it did Monday night.”

It won’t be an easy task against a San Francisco 49ers team allowing 14 points per game and who has given up fewer than seven points in three of its last four contests.

It’s understandably frustrating to watch a team struggle to get into the end zone week are after week, but sometimes you have to examine the silver lining.

As a team you always want to be improving and from the Cardinals perspective even though it’s not much, at least their offense isn’t worse.

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