BIG RED FRIDAY GETTING YOU READY FOR A CARDINALS FOOTBALL WEEKEND PIVOT POINT
Season is young, but Cards can’t afford to fall into hole
Soon after the 2016 season ended, the Cardinals began work to distance themselves from it, which is expected when a team finishes with its first losing record in four years.
Nine months later, however, the Cardinals find themselves in an eerily similar situation.
They’ve lost two of their first three games, just as they did in 2016.
The offense has struggled. The defense has broken down at critical times. They have missed field goals. Just as they did in 2016.
It’s only Week 4, but the season is at a pivotal point already. Just like 2016.
A year ago, the Cardinals were upset by a division opponent, the Rams, at home in Week 4. That loss hurt more than any other, and they were never able to recover.
A year later, here the Cardinals are again: Week 4 and favored in a home game against a division opponent, the 49ers, who are 0-3.
The stakes are high, and the Cardinals know it.
“Huge,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “We’re in a difficult spot, as you said, coming off a loss on a short week with a team that’s got 10 or so days rest. This is a huge game for us.”
The Cardinals might be in worse shape than they were a year ago at this time.
Their best offensive player, running back David Johnson, is out with a wrist injury until at least early November, and they already have lost twice to NFC opponents, the Lions and Cowboys.
Those losses could be devastating because head-to-head results and conference record are the two most important tie-breaking criteria for the postseason.
If the Cardinals are going to be in that discussion, they must begin to tow themselves out of the muck on Sunday against the 49ers.
It won’t be easy. Here’s a look at all three phases — what’s gone wrong and what has to happen for improvement to be made.
Offense
The Cardinals have been spackling and painting over damage since Johnson and left tackle D.J. Humphries (knee) went down with injuries in Week 1.
Palmer was terrible in Week 1, average in Week 2 and stellar in Week 3. The Cardinals will need performances from him like Monday night’s when he passed for 325 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys.
Humphries and left guard Mike Iupati (triceps) are expected to return this week, which will help. But playing through arm injuries is difficult for offensive linemen, and it will be interesting to see how Iupati copes.
The bigger problems on the offensive line are on the right side. Guard Evan Boehm and tackle Jared Veldheer haven’t played well, and Veldheer in particular has really struggled.
For the Cardinals to be successful, that can’t continue, and they don’t have much choice but to hope Veldheer pulls out of it.
They are committed to keeping Humphries on the left side, and backup John Wetzel is better on the left than the right. The next man up is rookie Will Holden.
With Johnson out, the Cardinals are searching for a replacement at running back. They’ve tried Kerwynn Williams, Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington.
Of that trio, Ellington is the only one who has shown he can avoid or break a tackle, so he could become the featured back going forward. Johnson will start on Sunday, but he has to show something to stay in that role.
The Cardinals' receivers aren’t getting many yards after the catch, either. It’s hard to remember the last time any Cardinals pass-catcher broke or eluded a tackle to make a big gain.
Defense
There’s enough talent for this group to be above average and to win games for the Cardinals while the offense gets healthy and/or addresses its issues.
For that to happen, the defense has to eliminate the lapses that occurred in the first three weeks.
The Lions scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Cardinals in Week 1. The Cowboys were 3-for-3 in the red zone and scored four touchdowns to win last Monday night.
Opponents have committed only two turnovers and have scored touchdowns on seven of eight red-zone possessions this season.
An offense that’s struggling requires help, and the Cardinals' defense hasn’t provided enough of it.
“I don’t think there’s any secret at all, period,” defensive coordinator James Bettcher said. “It’s we’re not finishing games."
Outside linebackers Chandler Jones and Markus Golden give the Cardinals a lethal outside pass rush. What they need is an interior push, something that’s been missing this year.
Bucannon is expected to play Sunday, which should help.
Special teams
The Cardinals drafted with players’ special teams abilities in mind, and they made changes at kicker and punter, going with proven players.
But Phil Dawson has missed a fieldgoal attempt in each game, and punter Andy Lee’s statistics are below his career averages.
The punt coverage hasn’t been good, and opponents have been close to blocking a handful of attempts.
The biggest problem is Dawson. In their current condition, the Cardinals aren’t built to score 30 points a game. Even if they were, missed field-goal tries are killers in a league where 25 percent or so of games are decided by three points or fewer.