Can the Arizona Cardinals Salvage Their Season?

Despite a 21-6 lead in the fourth quarter and multiple opportunities to put away the game, the Cardinals wound up losing on a last-second field goal for the third game in a row.

With starting quarterback Kyler Murray dealing with a foot injury sustained against Tennessee, Arizona would play its next two games with Jacoby Brissett at QB. Despite strong showings against the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers, the Cardinals would lose both games by four-point margins.

The Kyler Murray Question

Is Kyler Murray really the franchise guy in Arizona?

In the first five games of the season, with Kyler Murray starting, the Cardinals’ offense averaged just 288.4 yards and 20.6 points per game. In the past two games with Brissett at quarterback, Arizona has averaged 365 yards and 25 points per game. 

While this is a small sample size for Arizona to work with, it is alarming to see how much more this offense seemed to find a groove with a 32-year-old journeyman at quarterback rather than their highest-paid player.

With the offense appearing lively the past two games, it has fans wondering whether Murray should continue to serve as the leader for this team. 

It is likely that Arizona will continue to trust the seventh-year quarterback, as Gannon has already made that clear.

Despite there being obvious issues with the offense with Murray at the helm, at the same time it seems a bit unfair to throw him completely under the bus.

Kyler Murray has shown flashes of brilliance in his career on multiple occasions, becoming one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. He has even taken a place on the Cardinals’ all-time passing record lists, with the third most passing yards and touchdowns in their long history.

Murray’s $230 million extension he signed forces Arizona’s hand a bit, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy decision to keep him as the starter.

Lack of an Offensive Identity

Instead of throwing all the blame on Murray, maybe it’s the offensive identity, or lack thereof, that should be called into question.

Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing has been with Arizona since Gannon was hired in early 2023; to say it has been smooth sailing since then would be nothing short of a blatant lie. 

In 41 games under Petzing, the Cardinals’ offense has recorded over 300 passing yards in a game only twice. One of those games came in Week 6 with Brissett at the helm. This clearly will not cut it in the modern NFL, and it has continued to cost them games.

In all fairness, the start of the Gannon and Petzing era focused more on a dominating ground game. In 2023 and 2024, the Cardinals had a top-10-ranked rushing offense, averaging over 139 yards on the ground.

Flash forward to this season, and the Arizona offense now averages a measly 110.4 rushing yards per game.

Marvin Harrison Jr. Must Pick It Up

The Cardinals’ running-back room has been stretched a bit thin, as James Conner and Trey Benson both are injured. With challenges in the run game, it would be expected of the passing game to pick up some of the slack—even more so due to the strong pass catching duo of star tight end Trey McBride and second year receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

However, this has evidently been far from the case. McBride remains a fixture in the offense, but the same cannot be said for Harrison Jr..

Through seven games, Harrison Jr. has been targeted only 17% of the time when Arizona throws the ball. This target share puts Harrison Jr. at 73rd in the NFL and in the same echelon as players like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Mason Taylor, Alec Pierce, and Elic Ayomanor.

All are talented pass catchers, but none of them were drafted with the same expectations and pedigree as Harrison Jr.. The utilization of Harrison Jr. has been nothing short of disappointing thus far. His usage has to change if Arizona has any hope of climbing into the playoff race.

An Inability to Close

Despite the chaos swirling around in Arizona, they have led in the fourth quarter of all but one game. 

It is another common thread throughout the season that Arizona is capable of playing winning football for three quarters. Their struggles just seem to shine through once the fourth quarter begins.

Normally a strong suit, the defense has only allowed 78 points in the first three quarters of their games. Although they have allowed the most points in the fourth quarter in the NFL, with 76 points given up.

It is apparent that Arizona is capable of playing with the best, but moral victories don’t mean much in the NFL.

If Arizona expects to dig out of the hole they put themselves in, they need to close out games.

What’s Next?

This bye week was imperative for the Cardinals as they look to right the ship. With multiple heartbreaking finishes, Arizona hopefully used the week off to regroup, get healthy, and build an offensive identity.

Arizona has a prime opportunity to get their offense on track against a poor defense in the Dallas Cowboys. They need to utilize this opportunity to build more confidence with Harrison Jr. as a focal point in the offense.

Is the season still salvageable? Of course. There is still plenty of time left in the season and four more divisional games to be played; but time is ticking, and another loss could all but assure another losing season in the Valley.