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Cardinals OC Gets Honest on Questionable Final Play Call
Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing talks to his offense during Cardinals training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, on July 31, 2025. Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The talk of the town has finally spoke.

Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing moves into Week 6 with an incredibly underperforming unit, and with each passing game, more and more fans are applying pressure on the play-caller to fix things before the season is lost.

Last Sunday reached a new boiling point for Cardinals fans, where the team regained possession with under five minutes to play in dire hopes of hanging on to a once massive lead. Arizona opted to try and run out the clock before handing the ball back to the Tennessee Titans for an eventual game-winning drive.

"I felt that way during the game. Going back and looking at it I think there were maybe a couple things I could have done differently here and there. You're always going to feel that way when you come out of a game." Petzing told reporters on Tuesday.

Much of the attention came down to a crucial 3rd-and-8 call with just over two minutes remaining, needing a first down to potentially seal a win - and the Cardinals opted to run the ball to no success, which has been an all-too similar story this season.

Many believe quarterback Kyler Murray should have had the ball in his hands considering the down, distance and what was at stake.

"Sometimes those conversations are very in-depth and in the moment I'm giving him [Gannon] a quick piece of information and he's got to manage clock, time, he has so many other things to consider when taking a timeout or not taking a timeout," said Petzing.

"Again, a lot of not liking a call can be hindsight too. Maybe at the time, when I called it I felt pretty good about it. As we broke the huddle I start to look at the look [what the defense shows] ... I don't think I gave him the best shot there. I could have done something different and I need to be better."

Gannon, when meeting with media on Monday, admitted he made a mistake by not calling a timeout before that play.

Petzing, who said Murray did not have a check-out play on that 3rd-and-8, was in the same boat of not liking that final play call:

"At the end of the day, any time I make a call, I'm trying to win the game. Whether I'm putting the ball in Kyler's hands, the backs hands and trusting the o-line, I think just based on the situation, where we were, down and distance, I didn't love the call. I feel like I put out guys in a tough spot."

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This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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