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Sep 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on the sidelines during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Cardinals Coach Takes Blame for Offensive Struggles

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 8:24 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals finally did it.

After multiple weeks of escaping with wins despite avoiding a late-game collapse, their luck finally ran out in Santa Clara, as the San Francisco 49ers drove down the field to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired to bring home the Week 3 win.

The Cardinals fall to 2-1 on the season, and while it's not time to press the panic button after their first loss, all eyes are on Arizona to see how they'll rebound - specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

To say Arizona's struggled out of the gates under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing would be to also highlight the sky is blue and water is wet. While there's been flashes, nothing close to a cohesive 60 minutes of football has been played in the desert.

Relying on late defensive stops for wins is fine - until it isn't, where it bit the Cardinals back today as sort of a repayment of favors from the prior two weeks.

Cardinals Defend Offense Amid Struggles

After the game, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was directly asked about the offensive play-calling.

“I have no problems with the offensive play-calling. Never will. I know exactly what we’re calling. So if you got a problem with that, you should look to me," he said.

Quite frankly, that's the correct answer from Gannon - the last thing you want a head coach doing is publicly pointing fingers. Part of the gig is absorbing blame and taking pressure off others.

However, Gannon himself knows things simply have to get better.

"I think without watching the tape, which is a bad answer, I think we got to do a little bit better. We got to make sure that we stay on the field. I thought we moved it well [but] didn't come away with a lot of points. Generated some explosives [plays], which led to some points there so that's always good," Gannon told reporters following the game.

"[We] had a chance to win the game there at the end, and the kid made a good play. Honestly, 20 [49ers DB Upton Stout] made a hell of a play there. So I think not just the offense, all three phases got to do a little bit better."

Today marked the sixth instance dating back to the beginning of 2024 where the Cardinals scored less than 16 points in a game. Petzing has been under heavy fire for his unit's performance during practically that entire duration, and today did him no favors.

Arizona had 260 net yards of offense compared to San Francisco's 355 despite running two more plays than the 49ers.

It's a team effort, win or lose. The Cardinals themselves missed plenty of opportunities on the field that may have resulted in a win and changed the tone of conversation surrounding the team.

Yet in totality, Arizona's offense isn't performing close to hype or expectations.