Coach: Cardinals not at full speed
Kingsbury: Offense has lots to improve
Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury thinks his team still has a lot to improve, but given the 28-point win Monday night over Dallas, that’s a good thing. Arizona put up 38 points in the win, showing that this offense can still be effective even when operating below where they believe their ceiling is.
“We still have not hit our stride offensively,” Kingsbury said on Tuesday. “I think more than anything, that’s encouraging. We’ve got to hit here soon because we have a great Seattle team coming in that’s scoring a bunch of points and has a tremendous defense.”
Kingsbury believes it shows that this offense has enough talent to eclipse some of those areas of improvement. But to hand 5-0 Seattle its first loss of the season, Arizona has a smaller margin of error.
On Monday, quarterback Kyler Murray completed just 9 of 24 throws, and no receiver had more than three catches. His completion percentage of 37.5%
was a significant drop from his previous low (53.7%, set in his rookie debut) and his average (64.8%). But he still threw for two touchdowns and188 yards as the Cardinals galloped out to score the first 21 points unanswered.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had two catches, though one for 60 yards. He was targeted eight times, and Kingsbury thinks the team still has a bit of work to do to best figure out how everyone will fit together. But Murray put it back on himself.
“A couple of little things earlier in the game, if we detail those things up it’s probably a catch,” Murray said Monday after the game. “A couple of those bad throws on me, I was tired, which obviously can’t happen. And then I missed him, I had the opportunity, he ran a go (route) and if I had thrown it better it probably would have been a TD and we would all be happy right now. So I got to be better.”
Still, Kingsbury saw his impact throughout the game, including massive completions to Christian Kirk and Hopkins, as well as everything Murray did on the ground.
“I think anybody that watched the game, he had a pretty dominant performance, just with his presence, extending plays, the runs he made, and throws he hit when he hit them,” Kingsbury said Tuesday.
Murray looked deep for wide receiver Andy Isabella twice, both times unable to connect. Isabella’s speed and separation make him a deep threat, and Kingsbury takes advantage of that.
“We’d like to hit those throws, but that happens when you’re trying to push the ball down the field,” Kingsbury said. “We were fortunate to end up hitting a couple late that really separated us in the game.”
Kirk, who was on the receiving end of an 80-yard touchdown from Murray, knows that there are still things to
tweak for everyone on the offense. But even on a day where Murray completes just about a third of his throws, the ones where he connects can make more than enough difference.
“He’s just so special with the ball in his hands,” Kirk said Monday. “It was just one of those days; sometimes it happens like that, where he’s not going to pass for (300) or 400 yards, but the scoreboard said it all.”
Practice squad moves
On Tuesday, the Cardinals resigned offensive lineman Rick Leonard to the practice squad. They also activated running back D.J. Foster and tight end Justin Johnson to the practice squad from the practice squad injured reserve list.
To make room, they released safety Kentrell Brice, cornerback Jalen Davis and safety T.J. Ward from practice squad.