
The Arizona Cardinals have scratched their way out of last place in the NFC West today.
Two touchdowns from James Conner and a brilliant performance from Colt McCoy, have given Arizona some desperately needed rejuvination.
Defensive takeaways
On the defensive side, John Wolford had no answer and failed to throw for over 150 yards in his first game as a starter this year.
Star WR Cooper Kupp had only three receptions for -1 yards before leaving the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Kupp’s two worst games this season have both been against the Cardinals.
Budda Baker show
For a player that was supposed to miss multiple games with an ankle injury, Budda Baker did not disappoint in his “flu game.”
BUDDA BAKER YOU ARE NOT HUMAN!!!!!@buddabaker3 X #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/UjHDLSwRS3
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 14, 2022
Baker ultimately put the game away late in the fourth quarter with an interception. It was his first interception of the season, and he ran it back for almost 40 yards, handing the Cardinals excellent field position.
McCoy magic
With the absence of Kyler Murray, the Cardinals were in need of a hero, and they got one.
Colt Dropping DIMES! pic.twitter.com/032GnRPx90
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 13, 2022
Colt McCoy did not mess around, starting from the opening drive to the final whistle. In total, McCoy finished throwing 26/37 for 238 yards and a touchdown.
This was an extremely impressive performance from the veteran, considering he has not started a football game since Week 11 of the 2021 season.
Hopkins and Moore stepping up
The DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore combo showed close to its full potential this week. By the end of the game, the two wide receivers combined for 19 receptions totaling 192 yards. This combination of yardage rivaled the Rams’ team total.
Moore had easily his best game of the season, having the most yards in a game since Week Two of his rookie year. This included a spectacular jumping grab to convert a critical fourth down conversion in the 4th quarter.
ARE YOU SERIOUS RONDALE?!?!?!@moore_rondale x #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/DQy2vRQBL8
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 14, 2022
Onto the next
As important as this week was for Arizona, next week may be even bigger. The Cardinals will head to Mexico to take on the San Francisco 49ers. If Arizona can walk away victorious, they have a shot of jumping into second place in the division.
This is not something that many expected just a couple of days ago.
