James Conner epitomized the way the Cardinals have fought this season when he went after 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga postgame on Sunday.
A menacing shove might earn the standout running back a fine, but if the reaction came in defense of himself and teammates because of Hufanga’s after-whistle theatrics, then consider it a down payment on a more fruitful tomorrow.
When coach Jonathan Gannon spoke his ‘fire-in-the-gut’ line to Cardinals players before the season, it became a national punchline, but it resonated in the building, because his players are nothing if not battlers.
I wonder what this stemmed from. James Conner strikes me as a pretty level-headed guy pic.twitter.com/h309EVDn7u
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) October 2, 2023
That was evident again in Week 4, when an early 21-3 deficit became a five-point game late in the third quarter against San Francisco.
The 49ers eventually pulled away for a 35-16 win because their talent dwarfs that of Arizona, but for the fourth consecutive game, the arrow finished pointing up.
The Cardinals played extremely hard, again. They didn’t quit. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing found creative ways to move the ball despite being at a personnel disadvantage against the 49ers’ impressive defense.
A game like this laid bare the talent deficiency on the Arizona sideline.
The defense was carved up, as running back Christian McCaffrey scored four touchdowns and quarterback Brock Purdy threw only one incompletion the entire game while averaging an ungodly 13.5 yards per pass attempt.
More encouraging stuff from the offense but it’s going to take a big overhaul this offseason to fix the Cardinals’ defense pic.twitter.com/K0aWJLBoPq
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) October 1, 2023
The Cardinals badly need defensive reinforcements in future years, and GM Monti Ossenfort’s ability to revamp that group will play a big role in Arizona’s ability to be competitive in 2024.
But based on some of the early returns from the NFL draft and free agency, there should be ample faith in him.
Several value free agents have outplayed their contracts already, while the draft class continues to look promising.
Third-round pick Michael Wilson had a breakout game against the 49ers, catching seven passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
He has 14 catches for 237 yards and those two scores this year, and quarterback Joshua Dobbs has a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting him.
DeAndre Hopkins, the All-Pro Wilson replaced, has 18 catches for 216 yards and no touchdowns through four games with the Titans.
Michael Wilson through four games: 14 catches, 237 yards, 2 TD
DeAndre Hopkins through four games: 18 catches, 216 yards, 0 TD
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) October 2, 2023
The Cardinals are low on impact players at premium defensive positions, and those guys can be expensive or hard to find in the draft, but if Ossenfort can start shoring up that side of the ball, the turnaround could be quick, because the offense continues to impress.
Arizona averaged 5.4 yards per play and didn’t turn the ball over against San Francisco, a solid performance against an elite defense. Dobbs finished with the fifth-best Total QBR of the week among quarterbacks, pending Monday Night Football, and is in the top-10 for the season.
While the defense may need an offseason overhaul, the offense will only need some tinkering if it keeps this up when star quarterback Kyler Murray returns.
The Cardinals have now lost three of their first four games to begin 2023, which many people saw coming heading into the season.
But few thought they would play like this, and while there are still myriad holes to plug, the on-field results continue to bring optimism that a bright future awaits.
