The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Buffalo Bills 34-28 at Highmark Stadium. Despite being outmatched on one side of the ball, they competed hard enough to keep it a game before coming up short on the game’s final possession.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Here are five main takeaways from the game.
1. Cardinals fight until the final whistle against a team with Super Bowl aspirations
There are still a lot of positive takeaways from this game. They were able to force a takeaway the one time they got to Josh Allen, the offense scored on their first three drives, and they got a big special teams touchdown. Despite some of the bad plays that put them behind the 8 ball, they still had a chance to win the game on the final possession. That type of effort will lead to more wins than losses in the future.
Even with the loss, it can build the type of confidence that they are moving in the right direction. They’ll have another tough test in Week 2, as they’ll host another team that was in the postseason last year in the Los Angeles Rams. This season will be as much as learning how to win these type of games, which will be more of a progression in how they play rather than their win-loss record.
2. Kyler Murray showed he can run the offense at a high level
The biggest question facing the Cardinals this season is Kyler Murray’s ability to run the offense. This is the first time he’s had an entire offseason to work on learning the offense and developing chemistry with the pass catchers. That work paid off, as Murray finished the game completing 21 of 31 passes for 162 yards and a passing touchdown. He also contributed 57 yards rushing, extending plays and drives.
While Murray played an overall solid game, there are some blemishes on the record. He was strip-sacked by Gregory Rousseau, which ended up being the difference in the game as the Bills converted the short field for the score. There were also a couple of missed opportunities in the game, most notably on the final drive. On a 2nd & 6 from the Buffalo 39, rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. got behind the Bills’ defense but Murray did not see him as he started feeling pressure in the pocket before dumping it off to Greg Dortch for seven yards.
Kyler Murray talked about the play afterward, with video courtesy of PHNX Cardinals.
Kyler Murray on potentially missing Marvin Harrison Jr. deep on the game's final drive. pic.twitter.com/FEgK4fQC9a
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) September 8, 2024
Overall, the body of work for the Cardinals quarterback is a positive sign. He showed the ability to run the offense under structure, find the open receiver, and extend plays with his legs. There will need to be more of a willingness to push the ball downfield, but perhaps the plan was to play more of a conservative, ball-control offense against Josh Allen and the Bills.
3. Despite the takeaway, Cardinals defense struggled to contain Bills offense
The Cardinals defense made an early statement in the game, strip-sacking Josh Allen for their lone takeaway of the day, but it was a tough day for the unit. Carrying a 17-3 lead with 2:40 to go in the first half, the defense allowed the Bills to score going into and out of the half to tie the game. It was at that point that the game turned into a shootout.
On the nine drives the defense was on the field, they allowed four touchdowns and two field goals. In the second half, they allowed 24 points on six drives. The Bills had the ball for nearly 21 of the 30 minutes in the second half, evening up the time of possession for the game after the Cardinals controlled the ball in the first half.
The issue for the Cardinals defense is the lack of a difference-maker on that side of the ball. While they spent much of their offseason trying to add depth and role players, the only offseason addition that had a positive impact on that side of the ball was linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., who recorded a couple of tackles in the backfield.
4. Deejay Dallas becomes the first-ever player to score under new kickoff rules
The NFL is looking for a way to make kickoffs safer but still exciting. This season they’ve added a lot more rules to the game, with the landing zone at the 20, where the players start. In the fourth quarter, Deejay Dallas became the first player to successfully return a kickoff for a touchdown under these rules. That ended up becoming a huge play, as the Cardinals went from trailing by 11 to 3 after he returned the kickoff and James Conner converted the two-point conversion to make it 31-28.
5. Interesting usage of James Conner late in the game
The offense had a solid day overall, especially in the first half, but the Cardinals had a couple of interesting play calls that backfired in the fourth quarter. The first came on a 3rd & 4 early in the quarter, when they called for a jet sweep with Conner in the backfield. He was unable to get past the line of scrimmage and the Cardinals settled for a field goal to make it 24-20.
Another one came on 3rd & 10 on the final drive. In that situation, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing called a draw play as a tendency breaker. It only gained three yards, setting up a 4th & 7 situation on the game’s final play.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
