Three Bright Spots in Loss to Falcons
It's all but over for the Arizona Cardinals.
One week separates them and an offseason that will surely be full of speculation on many accounts, and against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18 their six-game losing streak may very well extend.
Even in their recent loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Cardinals still managed to find some light in a season that's been full of darkness.
While the team packs their bags and hopes on the flight back home to Tempe, here's three bright spots for the Cardinals to build on moving forward:
Three Bright Spots in Loss to Falcons
Draft Position Still Superb
That's what we're all really here for, right? The players and coaches will continue to put effort into winning, and as they should. Yet winning only pushes the Cardinals further away from a coveted defensive player such as Jalen Carter or Will Anderson at this point in the season.
With the loss, Arizona is still slotted at the No. 4 pick, though they're tied with the Broncos (Denver, whose pick actually belongs to Seattle, is ahead based on strength of schedule). The Cardinals could climb a spot or two which may even help a trade-down scenario.
Whatever Arizona opts to do, things are looking good in leaving the first round with something of quality.
Blough Earns Another Look
David Blough isn't unseating Kyler Murray anytime soon, but it's notable that he performed much better than Trace McSorley did last week.
Blough didn't wow with any throws or leave a crazy box score to look at, but he made the right plays and looked much more poised and capable of keeping the Cardinals on schedule, which just might have earned him another shot as Arizona approaches Week 18.
Blough's performance could also carry weight into the offseason with Murray's ACL recovery leaving an unknown timetable for return and Colt McCoy's age/health potentially leading him to walk away.
It's one week, but there's possibly new blood for the backup spot in Arizona. Blough played well but still couldn't manage a win, which is a win-win for fans.
Trey McBride Shines
At this point in the season, the Cardinals simply hope their young guys can get some time on the field and progress.
In Atlanta, there were some fairly good signs of progression.
Tight end Trey McBride scored his first NFL touchdown and posted a 7-78-1 stat line on the day. Coming with a premium second-round pick tag, you're expected to produce in a major way.
"He's getting better," said Kliff Kingsbury following the game. "I knew with more reps it would expedite his progress. He's got a long way to go. But the skill-set is there. I think he needs a full offseason and things will really slow down for him and if you can get [Zach] Ertz and him on the field together next year in that 12 package it could be a good weapon for us."
One week remains.
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