Notes from the Nest: Cardinals vs. Rams

GLENDALE, Ariz. — To say this would be a big game would be a small understatement, as the Cardinals host the Rams looking to even their record at 2-2 and avoid losing two of their first three home games.

For the Cardinals, the key will be bouncing back after a disappointing road loss to the Bills last week. The offense has struggled to get on track and the Rams, with their stout defensive line, would seem to be a difficult team to right the ship against. Then again, when the Cardinals are right, few teams can really slow them down.

The Cardinals are in their alternate black jerseys (just as they were against the Rams at home last season, incidentally also in Week 4), and here we go.

End of game

Cards got one more chance but TJ McDonald picks off the desperation heave, and by way of a 17-13 defeat, the Cardinals are now 1-3. What a horrendous start to the season.

:05 left in fourth quarter

Stanton was looking for Jaron Brown and the ball was picked by Trumaine Johnson. Looked like he may not have gotten both feet in bounds, which if overturned, would give the Cardinals one last chance at the end zone.

:34 left in fourth quarter

Stanton just missed a big completion to Floyd, who was crushed by TJ McDonald before he could make the grab.

:44 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals helped out by a personal foul on a hit to Stanton and are up to their own 48. Darren Fells made a short catch and didn’t get out of bounds — the Cardinals had no timeouts and he got hurt on the play, which leads to a 10-second runoff.

1:01 left in fourth quarter

John Brown fields the punt and gets a good return before being brought down by a horse-collar tackle. So, Cardinals take over at their 32 needing to go 68 yards to win the game. They have no timeouts and no starting QB.

1:14 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals stuff Gurley on third down and use their last timeout to stop the clock.

1:22 left in fourth quarter

Stanton is picked off and the Cardinals are in really rough shape. Rams have the ball at their own 45 and the Cards just burned their first timeout of the half. It’s 2nd and 10.

1:58 left in fourth quarter

Stanton is in and the Cards are at their own 27 now with it second and 10. This game is…something.

2:32 left in fourth quarter

Kick is returned to the 17 and Drew Stanton comes out to lead the offense. Here we go.

2:36 left in fourth quarter

Palmer heads to the locker room — to be evaluated for a concussion. In the meantime, the Rams just took the lead on a short pass to Brian Quick. The PAT is good and the Rams are up 17-13.

Cardinals had plenty of chances to bury the Rams, and every time found a way to mess it up. Now, they are in real danger of losing this game. That’s what happens.

5:09 left in fourth quarter

Palmer is sacked on third down and was slow to get up, and a long kick is made useless as a long return is then aided by a face mask call. That means the Rams offense comes out with the ball on the Arizona 19 in a game they trail by three.

8:26 left in fourth quarter

Call was confirmed, and then a false start as the Rams tried to get cute on the punt pushed L.A. back before they actually punted. Patrick Peterson fair caught the ball at the Arizona five, which is where the offense will take over.

8:34 left in fourth quarter

The scene is the Rams facing a fourth and eight from the Arizona 44 after a pass to Brian Quick falls incomplete. On the previous play, Case Keenum amazingly eluded a handful of Cardinals in the backfield and found Kendricks wide open, but Arizona was bailed out by an illegal man down field penalty. It was the right call, but a tough one.

Rams are challenging the ruling on this incomplete pass. The ball bounced around and may have been caught in between Quick’s legs. Guess we’ll see.

11:11 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals were moving but a concerning scene as Chris Johnson went down with a non-contact injury after a seven-yard run. On the following play, in Rams territory, David Johnson took a carry and fumbled the ball. Rams recovered and take over at their 41.

Cardinals had a chance to put this game away and instead give the Rams new hope.

12:22 left in fourth quarter

A long pass to Britt on first down put the Rams in Arizona territory, but for some reason on a 3rd and 1 the Rams ran a play that lost them three yards. Weird call, and on fourth down the Rams went for it but Patrick Peterson broke up the pass intended for Brian Quick and the Cardinals take over at their own 39. Looked like Markus Golden got held on that fourth down play, but it’s a moot point.

If the Cardinals score a touchdown on this drive, you kind of feel like that will be enough. But can they not only move the ball, but finish? This game is still very much hanging in the balance.

15:00 left in fourth quarter

Kickoff sails to back of the end zone and Rams will start at their 25. Can Arizona’s defense make a stand here and give their offense a chance to expand the lead?

End of third quarter

The period ends with the Cardinals taking the lead on a 21-yard field goal, though the Cardinals probably should have had a TD. On third down, it looked like Palmer tried to force a ball to John Brown who wasn’t open when he probably could have gone through his reads and found someone else. David Johnson looked like he would have had a chance to punch it in if the ball was dumped to him.

At any rate, the Cardinals now have their first lead of the game at 13-10.

1:09 left in third quarter

Palmer finds a wide open David Johnson, who picks up 24 yards on the play to put the ball at the Rams 4. Blown coverage, probably, and it burned the visitors.

1:44 left in third quarter

Cardinals moving the ball with help of a 22-yard catch from J.J. Nelson, who did a great job keeping his feet in bounds while securing the football. A false start on Humphries following a short David Johnson run makes it 2nd and 12 from the L.A. 28.

5:05 left in third quarter

A false start pushed the Rams back even more, and an incomplete pass was followed by a Markus Golden sack — his fourth in four games, too — which then led to a punt. Arizona takes over at its own 25.

In that drive, Tyvon Branch appeared to aggravate a groin injury that had bothered him during the week.

6:33 left in third quarter

Rams still have the ball after a Patrick Peterson interception attempt was ruined by what was probably offensive pass interference on Quick, though it wasn’t called. A couple plays later the Rams got a first, but then a long Keenum run is wiped out by an offensive hold. It’s now 2nd and 18 from the Arizona 45.

9:04 left in third quarter

Rams get a first down when Keenum finds Britt for 11 yards on third down. Tyvon Branch was in coverage and he stayed down on the field a bit following the play. Was right there, just couldn’t knock the ball away. Rams now at their own 45.

10;32 left in third quarter

Cardinals were moving after Palmer hit John Brown for a big gain on third down, but after a short throw to Fitzgerald that was deemed a rush Palmer has the ball knocked away as he was about to throw. Aaron Donald was the man responsible for the strip/sack, and he also recovered the fumble. Rams will take over at their own 31.

13:12 left in third quarter

Rams moved into Cardinals territory when Keenum hit Gurley on a wheel route. It was a great catch against decent coverage. However, later Keenum dropped back to pass and had the ball stripped by Chandler Jones, who also recovered the ball. It’s his fourth sack in his first four games, which is a franchise first. The Cardinals take over at their own 48 and have some momentum.

14:44 left in third quarter

Rams just missed Tavon Austin deep, and on second down Gurley was stuffed for no gain. Apparently Jeff Fischer got the challenge flag out in time, though, so that play didn’t count. The review upheld the call on the field, and on the new second down Gurley picked up three.

Halftime

And after all that, the game is tied at the half. Arizona’s offense looked capable when it wasn’t shooting itself in the foot, just as the defense was stout except for some mental mistakes. What does that mean? Who knows, but we have 30 minutes to find out.

:24 left in second quarter

Because football is weird, Floyd then comes up big with a couple of difficult catches, including a five-yard TD grab that has, along with the PAT, tied things up. Big drive from an offense that really needed to do something like that.

:53 left in second quarter

Cardinals are moving because the Rams aren’t covering John Brown. Arizona is at the L.A. 21 and has something going. Also on this drive was a Michael Floyd drop.

1:30 left in the second quarter

Palmer nearly picked again by Johnson after the timing was off between he and John Brown, but survives and then later hits Brown for a first down out to the Arizona 41. Rams star Robert Quinn just walked off the field after being down for a while with an apparent injury.

1:48 left in second quarter

Cardinals get a stop and force a punt, which John Brown fair catches at the Arizona 20. Plenty of time left with three timeouts, and given that the Rams get the ball to start the second half, the Cardinals will probably be a little aggressive here.

2:53 left in second quarter

Cardinals looked like they were in business and then Palmer is picked by Trumaine Johnson in the end zone looking for John Brown. Ball was a little underthrown but it was another case of the QB giving his WR a chance when single covered, which is fine, except Brown is not the guy you throw a 50-50 ball to. Just awful.

4:10 left in second quarter

Cardinals got a big three-and-out and a 19-yard return on the punt by John Brown puts the ball at the Rams’ 45. Great field position that this offense, which is again struggling, cannot afford to waste.

5:49 left in second quarter

Pressure from Aaron Donald forced a quick pass from Palmer that fell incomplete. Quigley’s punt is downed at the L.A. three, so that’s something.

Pretty sure I heard some boos from the crowd after the Cardinals came up empty, by the way.

6:22 left in second quarter

A 31-yard David Johnson run got things going, but a short loss and then a nice pass to John Brown made it 3rd and 2 from the Rams 48. A.Q. Shipley was flagged for a false start, though, so now it’s 3rd and 7.

8:34 left in second quarter

Ellington returns the kick to the 24 — looked like was close to getting a little more. The offense is back on the field and to be fair, they have moved the ball OK the last two drives, but field goals (or, as in the one, no points at all) are not going to get it done.

8:42 left in second quarter

The defense holds as Tavon Austin comes up just short on third down. Greg Zeurlein is good from 29-yards out, and the L.A. lead is extended to 10-3. Blown coverage led to points, and those communication issues are something that should not be happening. When they do, that’s often the result.

9:00 left in second quarter

Rams moving the ball again and on third and long, the Cardinals have a busted coverage with Tyrann Mathieu moving up into the box and no one covering Kenny Britt down the field. The gain went for 34 yards, and the Rams have it at the Arizona 19 now with a 3rd and 9.

12:19 left in second quarter

Chris Johnson either got to the one or scored, but a hold on Jermaine Greshem negated the play and pushed the Cardinals back. A couple short passes to David Johnson did not get the first down, and Catanzaro came in for a 25-yard field goal. The snap from Aaron Brewer and the hold by Ryan Quigley were good, and the Cardinals got on the board.

The home team trails 7-3.

14:18 left in second quarter

This drive has featured a lot of Chris Johnson, and he is making it count. He gained 18 yards on a run but a personal foul on Troy Hill for a late hit (Johnson was well out of bounds) puts the Cardinals at the Rams 13.

End of first quarter

Palmer is looking for Larry Fitzgerald in big spots, and No. 11 keeps delivering. A third down catch keeps the drive alive, and the Cardinals are at their own 47. With the quarter ending, the Cardinals went another game without scoring points in the opening frame. Not ideal, and not expected. Team has posted 11 first quarter possessions without any kind of score.

Also, they trail 7-0.

1:59 left in first quarter

That penalty on Peterson looms large as the Rams get their first TD on a 65-yard pass to Brian Quick. Marcus Cooper was in position to make a play on the ball, but missed and then at that point the receiver was gone. The Cardinals’ struggles continue, and it almost seems imperative that the offense responds with some points.

Sooner or later the Cardinals need to look like themselves, unless this, of course, is the Cardinals…

3;11 left in first quarter

Bad break for Cardinals who got a sack of Keenum on third down from Deone Bucannon, but a defensive hold on Patrick Peterson gives the Rams a fresh set of downs. They are now at their own 32.

5:27 left in first quarter

Cards rode David Johnson into Rams territory and it looked like they were heading for some points, but the RB took a break for a play and on it Chris Johnson appeared to go the wrong way on a fake handoff and then missed a block, which of course led to Palmer being sacked. That took the Cardinals out of field goal range, and on third down Palmer couldn’t connect with Jaron Brown. So, the Cardinals punt, and after a Rams penalty their offense takes over at the 10.

11:22 left in first quarter

Rams go nowhere thanks to Tony Jefferson stuffing Todd Gurley for a loss on 3rd and 1. The punt bounces out of bounds at the Arizona 14, so not great field position here. Arizona’s offense has struggled to get going and still has yet to score a first-quarter point this season. Just saying.

13:24 left in first quarter

A short pass to John Brown is followed by a run for a loss by David Johnson, and on third down pressure forces a tough throw from Palmer that Michael Floyd leaps and grabs, but fails to hold onto. Jared Veldheer was called for holding on the play anyway, so it wouldn’t have mattered. Still, would like to see Floyd make that catch.

New punter Ryan Quigley’s kick has the Rams starting at their own 37.

15:00 left in first quarter

Andre Ellington takes a knee on the kick and Arizona’s offense will begin at the 25. Better starting field position than normal after a kick, so there’s that.