Good, Bad and Ugly From Cardinals Loss to Bills

The Arizona Cardinals saw good - and bad - during their Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back DeeJay Dallas (20) celebrates scoring a touchdown with teammates during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals' loss to the Buffalo Bills was upsetting because it felt winnable at certain points in time.

In others, however, the Cardinals were completely outmatched by one of the better teams in the league.

There were bright spots from both sides of the ball and the team looked much more determined and it led to a competitive game that Arizona couldn’t seal the deal on.

If you’re a fan of moral victories, there are plenty to take home.

If you’re a pessimist, there are plenty of things to be upset about.

We’re going to look at the good from this game along with the bad and the downright ugly.

The Good

Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) avoids Buffalo Bills cornerback Cam Lewis (39) to get a first down in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Kyler Murray had a rock-solid day in the office, going 21/31 for 162 yards and a touchdown pass to Michael Wilson. Murray also tagged 57 rushing yards on five carries. With an offensive line that struggled with protection (more on them later), Murray did the most with what he was given.

James Conner also had a good day with 83 scrimmage yards (50 rushing, 33 receiving) on 19 touches including his first rushing touchdown of the season. The old man continues to be a constant for this offense.

The Cardinals scored the first kick return touchdown in league history under the new kickoff rules established this season. DeeJay Dallas went 96 yards down the sideline for a crucial touchdown that put the Cards within three points near the end of the game.

The Bad

Sep 10, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing walks on the sideline before the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brent Skeen-Imagn Images / Brent Skeen-Imagn Images

So much for my prediction for Marvin Harrison Jr’s NFL debut. The fourth overall pick was targeted three times and hauled in a single pass for just four yards. Harrison hauled that pass in about halfway through the second quarter on his third target.

He wasn’t heard from again for the rest of the game. This absolutely cannot happen under any circumstances moving forward.

The play-calling on both sides of the football was up-and-down, but on the final drive of the game it was puzzling to see how the Cardinals handled the two-minute drill which ended with an incompletion into the endzone.

It wasn’t dreadful coaching, but it was far from great.

The Ugly

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The offensive line is bad. Like, bad bad. It didn’t help that right tackle Jonah Williams got injured during the game and was replaced by Kelvin Beachum. Not that the unit was excelling prior to that injury, but things only got worse.

The Cards defensive line was pitiful upfront, and you could barely tell the team made some additions to the group this offseason. The Bills collected 110 rushing yards from James Cook and Josh Allen plus two scores from Allen, who the Cardinals had no answers for once he broke the pocket.

The only pass rush that the team managed was on blitz packages, with defensive back Kei’Trel Clark getting one of just two sacks. Defensive lineman Roy Lopez got the other sack.

The pass rush was a huge question coming into the season and this game didn’t do much to give us hope.

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