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Takeaways From Cardinals' 19-16 Overtime Loss to Buccaneers

The Arizona Cardinals lost yet another heartbreaking game — this time to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a Christmas Day contest in Week 16.

Ryan Sanudo

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The Arizona Cardinals lost Sunday Night's matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, 19-16, and have now lost five straight games. 

It was a struggle for Tampa Bay as they were once down double-digits in the game. But they eventually woke up and delivered 13 unanswered points during the fourth quarter and overtime.

Arizona had lost two games in the final seconds at home already this season entering Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers. 

The Cardinals have lost five games in a row at home and fall to 4-11 on the year. They will travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons next week. 

Here are the team's four takeaways following their Week 16 defeat:

Marco Wilson CB Came to Play

Marco Wilson

It's safe to say that the Cardinals had future Hall of Famer Tom Brady in control for most of the game. He threw two interceptions and both were to 2021 fourth-round pick cornerback Marco Wilson.

His first was grabbed at the Arizona 2-yard line on a deep pass from Brady, who was getting hit by rookie Cameron Thomas. He returned it for 39 yards and kept the Bucs' lead at 6-3 at the time.

Wilson's second interception was in the third quarter and he made the catch while jumping in front of Mike Evans at the Cardinals' 19-yard line. Arizona would take a 9-6 lead on the ensuing drive due to a Matt Prater field goal.

Unfortunately, Wilson went to the locker room in the fourth quarter and head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters after the game that he was dealing with a stinger.

But when Wilson was on the field, he battled Evans, who caught just three of his eight targets for 29 yards. 

Cardinals Finally Get Back to Using Greg Dortch

Greg Dortch

Prior to Week 16, Dortch had just 10 snaps in the previous two games after missing two games from a knee injury he suffered in Week 11.

Dortch erupted against the Buccaneers as he posted 10 receptions for 98 yards, including three rushes for 25 yards. The 5-foot-7, 173-pound receiver was Trace McSorley's friend throughout the day.

When Rondale Moore returned to the lineup mid-season, Dortch saw his number of snap counts decrease. 

Yet, Sunday was Dortch's fourth game with 7 or more receptions this season. 

Dortch has been one of the better players on this Cardinals team, but the team left meat on the bone in terms of what his season production could've been.

Rest of Offense Minus James Conner Was Invisible

James Conner

The Cardinals' offense was an eye soar during the whole contest, averaging a measly 4.4 yards per play.

Conner ran the ball 15 times for 79 yards including one touchdown. But the rest of the offense had plenty of stalls with McSorley at the helm. He completed 24 of 45 passes for 217 yards and one interception. 

DeAndre Hopkins caught just one pass for four yards on 10 targets. Other than his 47-yard reception in the third quarter, Marquise Brown made two other grabs for 10 yards.

Arizona's offense then made the worst blunder of the day in the fourth quarter when McSorley's pitch to Keontay Ingram resulted in a fumble, which led to Tampa Bay recovering and tying the game up nine plays later at 16-16.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury curiously decided not to have Conner on the field in the 3rd-and-1 play.

Arizona will have to think long and hard about why the team continues to make self-inflicting mistakes on offense.

Don't Test Tom

Tom Brady

For the most part, nothing was pretty about Brady's performance on primetime television. Arizona's pass rush affected the 23-year veteran's play, especially due to J.J. Watt's five total tackles, including two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits.

But when it mattered the most, Brady delivered. He completed all six of his passes for 69 yards in overtime.

On a second-down play, his 16-yard completion on the right side to Evans in a tight window was a thing of beauty.

Tampa kicker Ryan Succop made the 40-yard game-winning field after Brady's poised drive. The Cardinals received the ball first in overtime but picked up one first down before having to punt.

Brady's had an up-and-down season, but there's still juice left in the 45-year-old, especially late in games.

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Ryan Sanudo
RYAN SANUDO

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