Arizona Cardinals Defense Shouldn’t Get All The Blame In Loss

The Arizona Cardinals got destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks last night and unless a miracle happens, they’ll be playing on the road in the playoffs. The win for the Seahawks gives them a clear road to winning home field advantage next week when they take on the Rams at home.

Following the game, I personally heard a lot of blame go to the defense and they did deserve some of the blame. Arizona’s defense gave up almost 600 yards of total offense while surrendering 35 points. They gave up two game changing big plays in Luke Wilson’s 80-yard touchdown catch and the Marshawn Lynch Beast Mode rushing touchdown.

Arizona’s D deserves a lot of blame but some has to go to Ryan Lindley and the Cardinals offense as well.

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The offense couldn’t really do anything, getting 216 yards of total offense even when they got good field position thanks to three missed field goals from Steven Hauschka. The Reds Birds offense was relegated to a lot of three and outs and short drives, giving their defense no time to rest.

As the game progressed you could clearly see the Cardinals defense was gassed making them vulnerable to big plays against a very good Seahawks team.

Other than having their third string quarterback under center, the Cardinals offense also suffered from an ineffective run game. Three Cardinal running backs combined for just 29 yards on 15 carries. With the running game ineffective and the Seahawks scoring points at will in the second half, the Cardinals were forced to pass, playing directly into the strength of the Seattle’s defense.

In short, this game was an awful game for both sides of the ball for the Cardinals. After an entire season spent dealing with adversity caused by injury, it’s hard to blame the Cardinals for looking like a team that has burned its last gallon of fuel.

It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals have anything left when they play the 49ers to close out the regular season.

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