Garrett Williams’ debut among positives from Cardinals’ loss to Seahawks
Oct 22, 2023, 7:06 PM
The Arizona Cardinals dropped their fourth straight game in the form of a 20-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
The offense again failed to find consistency behind a struggling Joshua Dobbs, despite the defense doing all it could to keep Arizona in it through four quarters.
No matter how you shake it, losses suck. That’s not to say there weren’t a handful of positives to build upon.
A look at some of the good that went along with all the bad from Sunday:
A debut to remember
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For the first time in his NFL career, rookie cornerback Garrett Williams suited up on game day.
And for the first time in his NFL career, the 2023 third-round pick made an impact.
Getting most of his work at nickel with cornerback Antonio Hamilton and safety Jalen Thompson inactive, Williams came away with the first interception of his career to go along with two tackles and a pass defensed.
After having to work his way back from a torn ACL suffered nearly a year prior, it was a monumental afternoon for Williams.
“It slowed down a lot. In the first quarter, I wasn’t playing fast enough,” Williams told sideline reporter Paul Calvisi postgame. “The guys on the sideline just kept building me up, making me feel more comfortable and telling me I’m going to be straight. As the game went on, I just kept getting more comfortable and started making tackles.
“Definitely some stuff I got to fix, but that’s the fun part.”
Demercado’s day
Questions remain when it comes to the running backs room minus James Conner.
But through three weeks, there’s at least one answer: the Cardinals very much trust undrafted rookie Emari Demercado.
After watching Keaontay Ingram lead the room last week, it was Demercado who paced Arizona’s backfield behind 13 carries for 58 yards.
He was the only Cardinals running back to see more than one carry throughout the loss and also added four receptions for 17 yards as a pass catcher.
As for Ingram, he did not record an offensive snap.
“It was kind of the matchups and how we decided to structure the game plan, but I thought Emari did some good things in there,” Gannon told reporters postgame. “Turned on the burners a couple times, had some explosive runs in there. I thought he did well.”
Gimme that!
That Cardinals offense did not play up to snuff.
The same can’t be said for the defense.
Despite the scoreboard reading in favor of Seattle, Arizona led the way in the turnover department with Williams’ interception and a pair of forced fumbles.
The Cardinals are now plus-3 on the season following the performance.
