The Arizona Cardinals lost three fumbles and were severely outplayed by the Green Bay Packers in a 34-13 blowout loss at Lambeau Field Sunday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Cardinals (2-4), who averaged 3.8 penalties per game entering today, the fewest in the NFL, had an uncharacteristic 13 penalties costing them 100 yards.
Jordan Love threw four touchdowns for Green Bay (4-2) and had 258 passing yards, completing 22-of-32 passes. Kyler Murray had his second-most passing yards of the season with 214, going 22-for-32 on his pass attempts and a touchdown.
The Cardinals did not have a player with more than 26 rushing yards (Trey Benson), accumulating only 89 rushing yards as a team compared to 179 for Green Bay. In total, the Packers had 437 yards of total offense on 70 plays. The Cardinals, meanwhile, mustered 303 yards of offense on 70 plays and lost the time of possession 36:35 to 23:25.
Trey McBride led all receivers with 96 receiving yards on eight receptions after Marvin Harrison Jr. went out with a concussion in the second quarter. Romeo Doubs (three receptions, 49 yards) caught two touchdown passes for Green Bay, as Christian Watson (three receptions, 68 yards) and Jayden Reed (six receptions, 28 yards) also each reeled one in.
Green Bay jumped out to a 24-0 lead early in the first half, dominating the time of possession from the opening kickoff and Arizona could just never respond.
Packers come out of gates hot
The Cardinals forced a punt on the first drive for the Packers, then went three-and-out on their first drive. This was the first time the Cardinals did not score a touchdown on the opening drive this season.
The Packers started the next drive at the Arizona 41 after a face mask penalty on the punt and made the most of it, running it three straight times to get into a goal-to-go situation where Love found Jayden Reed from five yards out for a touchdown to put Green Bay up 7-0 with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter.
Bird is the word.
TOUCHDOWN. JAYDEN. REED.#AZvsGB pic.twitter.com/VOwG4XEY7Q
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 13, 2024
Arizona could not answer back, getting the ball past midfield on its next drive, but punting it away after Murray could not hit Michael Wilson on third down.
After the punt, the Packers pieced together a 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to build their lead to 14-0 with 14:55 to go in the second quarter capped off by Love connecting with Doubs for a 10-yard touchdown on a third-and-5.
Penalties hampered the Cardinals early with three offsides penalties in the first quarter alone. After this touchdown, the Cardinals only had 22 total yards of offense compared to 135 for Green Bay and only 3:50 time of possession, as Green Bay had the ball for 11:15.
Doubs went end zone diving.#AZvsGB pic.twitter.com/iHJWGGywZe
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 13, 2024
Things did not get any better on Arizona’s next offensive drive, as the Packers forced a quick three-and-out. A nice tackle by Max Melton on punt coverage pinned Green Bay at its 10-yard line.
The Cardinals defense was able to limit Green Bay to a 36-yard field goal after a 12-play, 72-yard drive, as the Packers took a 17-0 lead with 6:32 left in the second quarter.
Not only did Arizona have another three-and-out on its next offensive possession, Marvin Harrison Jr. went down with a concussion and did not return. Harrison was the third Cardinals starter to get hurt in the game after linebacker Kyzir White (knee) and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (stinger) were injured earlier in the game and did not come back.
The Cardinals missed out on a huge opportunity on the punt after Reed fumbled the return and Arizona recovered, but offsetting penalties made Blake Gillikin re-punt it. Keisean Nixon returned the next punt 39 yards to the Arizona 44 to set up great field position for Green Bay.
The Packers made the most of the return, as Love threw a 44-yard bomb to Christian Watson for a wide-open touchdown on the very first play on offense. The game was suddenly way out of hand with Green Bay up 24-0 with 4:32 in the second quarter with 251 total yards of offense to only 34 for Arizona.
Love to Watson for the deep TD! ????????#AZvsGB pic.twitter.com/7bH43tDA4e
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 13, 2024
Cardinals get some life to end first half
Arizona was finally able to get in the red zone on its next drive after Murray found McBride for 29 yards following some big runs by James Conner. On a first-and-goal from the 18-yard line after a holding penalty, Murray threw a strike to Wilson over the middle for the Cardinals’ first score of the game with 1:56 remaining in the first half.
The #AZCardinals finally get on the board, as Kyler Murray finds Michael Wilson over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown to cut the #Packers lead to 24-7 with 1:56 to go in the first half. #AZvsGB
pic.twitter.com/4snBsE04L1— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) October 13, 2024
Packers wide receiver Bo Melton slipped on the ensuing Packers drive and the ball went straight into the hands of Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who picked it off and gave the Cardinals the ball at the Green Bay 45 with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.
The #AZCardinals getting some life right before halftime. Sean Murphy-Bunting gives them the ball at the Green Bay 45 down 17 with just over a minute left in the second quarter with this interception. Can they capitalize? #AZvsGB
pic.twitter.com/N60E3tIGjY— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) October 13, 2024
After the interception, the Cardinals moved the ball down to the Green Bay 20, but had to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Chad Ryland as time expired. They went to the locker room down 24-10 and were set to receive the second-half kickoff, a good position considering the circumstances.
The Packers netted 266 team yards in the first half to 134 for the Cardinals and led the time of possession 19:06 to 10:54.
Love completed 16-of-22 passes in the first half for 194 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while Murray was 9-for-17 for 103 yards and a touchdown. Conner rushed seven times for 24 yards and Jacobs had 11 carries for 46 yards for Green Bay.
Cardinals fumble away momentum in second half
Facing a similar situation to their 24-23 comeback win over the 49ers last week when they were down 23-10 at halftime, the Cardinals came out strong in the second half with two big passes to McBride. Just as they got into scoring territory, back-to-back penalties forced them into a second-and-19 from the Green Bay 34. Murray found Emari Demercado for 13 yards on second down, but missed a wide-open Xavier Weaver in the end zone on third down to force a field goal attempt. Ryland drilled the 40-yarder to cut the deficit to 24-13 with 9:03 to go in the third quarter.
The Cardinals looked to get a third down stop that would’ve forced a field goal, but a defensive holding penalty gave the Packers a fresh set of downs at the Arizona 26. On a third-and-4, Love lobbed up a jump ball to Doubs after a blitz by the Cardinals defense, and Murphy-Bunting was unable to locate it, giving Doubs an easy touchdown, his second of the day. The Packers went up 31-13 with 3:48 left in the third period with the score.
That's TD No. 2 for Doubs!#AZvsGB pic.twitter.com/0Bnqwr69TD
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 13, 2024
Things went from bad to worse for the Cardinals on the second play of their next offensive possession. Conner fumbled a short pass from Murray, and the Packers recovered at the Arizona 30.
Green Bay couldn’t capitalize on the turnover with a score, only gaining four yards on the next set of downs. Brayden Narveson’s 44-yard field goal was no good and kept the score at 31-13 with 2:04 remaining in the quarter.
The Cardinals marched down the field after the miss, but Greg Dortch fumbled away a 16-yard completion, and it was recovered by Jaire Alexander the Green Bay 22 with 21 seconds left in the quarter, effectively ending the game.
At the end of third quarter, Murray had 181 passing yards, completing 18-for-27 of his throws, while Love was 21-for-30 for 248 yards four touchdowns and an interception.
The Packers extended their lead to 34-13 with 9:28 left after a 41-yard field goal by Narveson capped off a 12-play, 58-yard drive that spanned 5:44.
The Cardinals got into the red zone the ensuing drive, but another fumble gave Green Bay the ball back at its 21-yard line with 5:43 to go. A missed handoff between Murray and Trey Benson ended up on the ground, and the Packers pounced on it.
Green Bay was able to run out the clock the rest of the way to seal its 34-13 victory.
Injuries pile up for Cardinals
Not only did the Cardinals lose the game, they also lost several key players to injuries throughout the game:
- LB Kyzir White (knee)
- DL Bilal Nichols (stinger)
- WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (concussion)
- S Joey Blount (hamstring)
- OL Evan Brown (ankle)
- CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck)
Next Up
The Cardinals will return home for Week 7 as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) on Monday Night Football. The Packers will host the Houston Texans next week.
Marvin Harrison Jr. suffers concussion, 5 other Cardinals injured in blowout loss to Packers
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
