The Cardinals had a perfect showing in their season-opening loss to the Commanders on Sunday.
Sixteen words into this column and I may have lost you, but bear with me for a minute.
The Cardinals unquestionably blew a winnable game on the road against Washington, which didn’t sit well with the team or the fanbase.
A few more plays here or there, and Arizona would have pulled off the upset, which would have boosted morale and allowed some chest-puffing after an offseason of being the league’s piñata.
Would be awesome if the Cardinals won so they could shut up critics like me (for a week at least)
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) September 10, 2023
But the bigger picture is the most important one for the organization, so the loss — and the first step toward reeling in the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft — was paramount.
And the way it happened couldn’t have been much more ideal.
Arizona actually looked like the better team for much of the afternoon, as its no-name defensive line put on an incredible display, registering six sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a touchdown.
The Commanders nipped them at the end, 20-16, in large part because quarterback Joshua Dobbs had a disastrous performance, averaging only 4.4 yards per pass attempt while losing a pair of critical fumbles in the second half.
But Arizona was in it the whole way, and this is exactly what Cardinals fans should be rooting for all year long: close losses to help draft positioning, mixed with some standout play from potential building blocks.
Zaven Collins, Kyzir White, K’Von Wallace, Dennis Gardeck, Victor Dimukeje and Cameron Thomas all flashed. In fact, the non-descript defensive linemen should be nicknamed The UFOs, because they were unidentified objects flying at Washington quarterback Sam Howell all afternoon.
DEFENSE IS HUNGRY AND THEY ARE EATING 🍽@DGardeck x @CameronThomas44 pic.twitter.com/jJU3S8CtP8
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 10, 2023
The Cardinals are not married to much of anyone on defense over the next several years, but if a few of them can emerge as low-cost producers, that would be huge.
On offense, Rondale Moore and Hollywood Brown looked really good, a reminder that blazing speed is the ultimate equalizer in the NFL. I’ll wait until Pro Football Focus and the Pass-Rush Win Rates are unveiled, but overall it also felt like the offensive line played pretty well.
Truthfully, the loss was on Dobbs, with an assist from offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who seemingly called a deep shot on the fumble that led to Washington’s go-ahead touchdown. It was 3rd-and-15 with Arizona up by six, and playing conservatively should have been the move.
It was really the only quibble I had with the staff, as the coaching was impressive. Head coach Jonathan Gannon has taken a lot of shots from the national media, which believes he is going to flame out in spectacular fashion in Arizona, but it was a very solid debut.
The Cardinals need to eliminate the stupid helmet-to-helmet hits, but I don’t think any coach in the NFL is encouraging those, so that was on the players.
Arizona’s issues were somewhat on display in this game, as any team that forces three turnovers and gets a defensive touchdown should not lose.
First pick of the season goes to 2️⃣5️⃣@ZavenCollins x #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/sxbySCT9wg
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 10, 2023
But we all know Dobbs is only a placeholder at quarterback, and the pieces around him all played quite well. If Arizona can keep this up, it’s easy to imagine Kyler Murray entering the lineup at some point and making the Cardinals competitive on a weekly basis.
That being said, the ceiling for this season is still low. As well as the Cardinals played, they lost to a middling team that fielded a subpar quarterback of its own.
Blowout losses could be on the horizon when teams like the Cowboys and Bengals come to town, where the talent differential will become very stark.
But the Giants are next, and the gulf between them and Arizona is not that large. The Cardinals can keep the good vibes going with another solid showing in their home opener.
The fans there will all be rooting hard for a win, something that’s been in short supply at State Farm Stadium for more than a year.
The ultimate victory, though, would be another encouraging loss.
