Heat Waved
Fansided

Arizona Cardinals Beat by Atlanta Falcons, Lose Second Straight

By Griffin Fabits

Nov 27, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) and running back David Johnson (31) walks off of the field after their loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) and running back David Johnson (31) walks off of the field after their loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Arizona Cardinals are now 4-6-1 after their Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They’ll return home next week to host the Washington Redskins.

The Arizona Cardinals were defeated by the Atlanta Falcons, 38-19, making it their second-straight loss. Arizona moves to 4-6-1 with the loss, and have now dropped three out of their last four games.

Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 54-yard field goal on the last play of the first half to cut into the Falcons lead, and made it at 17-13 game. Fourteen-straight points by Atlanta in the third and fourth quarters put the game in the bag.

With the win, the Falcons extend their lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 1.5 games in the NFC South. Barring an upset over the Seattle Seahawks, the Bucs will face a two-game deficit for the division lead. It’s pretty clear that the Falcons are the superior team in that division, and the Cards got a taste of it.

More from Arizona Cardinals

Going into the game, they knew they had to keep an eye out for Julio Jones. Jones leads the league in receiving yards, and has racked up 100+ receiving yards in four of his last five contests. Instead, they were blindsided by Atlanta’s blossoming receiver in Taylor Gabriel, who followed up last week’s one reception, 76-yard score with four receptions, 75 yards, and two touchdowns.

Jones was held to just four catches for 35 yards, but it was a game in which he didn’t need to shine. Matt Ryan frequently connected with Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu, and Justin Hardy. Sanu and Hardy combined for 11 catches and 112 yards.

Palmer was in and out of trouble all day, and was sacked twice by Atlanta. It was the fifth-consecutive game in which Palmer has been sacked at least twice.

He finished the game with 289 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while completing 25/45 passes.

Despite another loss, David Johnson remains to be a weapon on offense. He rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries, and lead the team in receiving with eight receptions and one touchdown over 103 yards.

At this point, a playoff run is too unrealistic to hope for. But, in case you’re wondering, they are now 3.5 games behind the Seattle Seahawks for first place. A win against the Buccaneers today stretches their lead to 4.0 games.

Next: Arizona Sports: Regular Season Success Often Fails to Translate

After back-to-back losses on the road, the Cardinals will return home next Sunday to host the Washington Redskins (6-4-1).

Home/Arizona Cardinals