The celebrities were among the last to arrive in the locker room, waiting to talk to the media—something that players would much rather avoid but know is part of the job. Budda Baker was first in line, followed by D.J. Humphries and Hollywood Brown, before Kyler Murray entered the press conference room.
After a game like Sunday, which had a gap of more than twenty points but wasn’t even close, there’s never really much to say. There aren’t many answers to the inevitable question “what’s next,” especially for a team that is currently 2–10.
Humphries stated, “I firmly believe that you should set an example of what you want it to look like.”
There are five games remaining, and it’s difficult to get better when you’re having trouble on the field. For coach Jonathan Gannon, figuring out culture and procedure, evaluating Murray in the big picture, and figuring out what rookies and young players do in this kind of situation will be the most difficult part.
According to Gannon, “a psychologically trained team doesn’t let what happened in the past affect them moving forward.” “I need to work on that more“
— On Sunday, the Cardinals triumphed in the turnover battle for the sixth time in a row (Jalen Thompson had an interception; Kyler Murray’s two interceptions were negated by penalties and did not count toward the team’s total because they were on two-point conversions). The Cardinals are surprisingly just 1-5 in those contests.
— After nailing a 56-yard field goal to close out the first half, renowned long-distance specialist Matt Prater ought to have added another 50-plus yarder to his stat sheet. But with no time remaining, tight end Geoff Swaim was called for holding. There isn’t an untimed down in a half on an offensive penalty, according to the rules, even though the Rams accepted the penalty and took the three points off the board. Prater was therefore unable to attempt what would have been a record-tying 66-yard field goal for the NFL with no time remaining on the clock.
(*)-Presuming the Cardinals would have permitted him to attempt and take a chance on a kick-six return.
In the second half, Prater was given another 56-yard attempt, but he got under the ball and pushed it wide to the right.
— On defense, Marco Wilson didn’t participate. The team started rookies Kei’Trel Clark, Garrett Williams, and Starling Thomas V in nickel, and even after Thomas was sidelined, practice squad call-up Divaad Wilson—also a rookie—saw action. The cornerback was still in the game. The rookies, according to Gannon, gave the Cardinals their best chance of winning.
“We are far into the season,” Williams remarked. “Everyone has played a little bit, and we all practice together every day. You don’t think we’re the new guys when you’re out there. We intend to perform at a very high caliber.”
— Questions about the future roles of running back Keaontay Ingram (who was inactive but in good health) and Marco Wilson were posed to Gannon. They’ll be fighting to play, according to Gannon.
Given that Thomas left the game in the first half due to an ankle injury and was declared out of the game, Marco Wilson might get there sooner.
— Kyren Williams will always want to take the court against the Cardinals. Over the course of two games against Arizona, the Rams running back amassed 301 yards rushing on 36 carries, or an 8.4-yard average.
— The Cardinals were 6-for-22 going into the game, but on Sunday, they converted 2-of-3 fourth downs. The first miss came on a fourth-and-2 at their own 48 in the first half, where Murray appeared to have the option to run or find Rondale Moore or James Conner on either side. Trey McBride’s pass was intercepted.
Murray ended up with just eight snaps under center, which is consistent with his first two games (9, 5). Murray was under center five times during the game’s opening drive on Sunday, which appeared to be a jump.
— The Cardinals didn’t record a sack for the first time this season on Sunday.
— Although the Cardinals’ Sunday loss wasn’t good, the day still had some positive highlights. Due to an ankle injury he sustained during practice on Friday, linebacker Jesse Luketa was never guaranteed to play and was in a difficult situation when he drove to the stadium on Sunday. Luketa thought he could find a gas station to get air, so he pulled off the freeway when his car alerted him to his low tire pressure. He was still thirty minutes away by car.
Luketa remarked, “But the tire was really done.” “No air was being held by it. When I look up while I’m there, I see a family decked out in Cardinals apparel. I thus just took a chance.”
Luketa inquired whether they were going to the game, so he gave her the rundown. Luketa said they were “overjoyed” to transport him. Luketa added that he made sure to call the team ahead of time to inform them of his issue and expressed his belief that he would not be able to make it to the game on time.
Luketa exclaimed, “I arrived on time, so major props to (the family).” “I owe them a great deal.”
I’m done for tonight.
