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James Conner carries Cardinals: Takeaways from 30-17 win over Patriots

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It’s been a few weeks since Arizona Cardinals fans had reason to smile, but they can finally say bye to the bye week blues.

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The Cardinals (7-7,2-2) ended their three-game losing streak Sunday with a 30-17 win against the New England Patriots (3-11,1-3). Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon said earlier in the week that he had to find answers to get the team going earlier, and he did.

The Cardinals got out early with a 10-point first quarter lead. Kicker Chad Ryland knocked down a 49-yard field goal at the quarter’s midway point to kick things off. On the next offensive drive, running back James Conner broke away for a 53-yard run, positioning wide receiver Greg Dortch to take an end-around to the goal line that he fumbled in the end zone. Luckily for the Cardinals, offensive tackle Jonah William used his cat like reflexes to pounce on the ball and save the day.

That’s a really big cat for six.

The Patriots couldn’t keep up with the Cardinals for most of the game. When they finally got into a rhythm, Arizona kept pouring it on.

Everything seemed to be working for Arizona in this one. It’s best offensive weapons were back in their rightful spots of dominance that we haven’t seen from them since before the bye week, and the results showed.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the matchup:

Let James Conner cook

I’m not an I told you so person, but the proof is in the pudding.

The Cardinals have had their best offensive performances when Conner was given the go-ahead, so why stop now? It was time to bring the veteran running back, back in the spotlight, and he stole the show.

Who cares how the ball gets to Conner as long as its getting there. He took handoffs, direct snaps and caught passes to rack up 138 all-purpose yards.

Conner rushed for a whopping 110 yards on 16 carries (6.9 yards per carry). Those yards were earned, shaking off tackles and rumbling his way to extra yardage to get his team to victory. He was rewarded for his effort with two touchdowns.

His first touchdown came as a result of a Patriots quarterback Drake Maye interception with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals drove 54 yards down the field in eight plays to set up Conner for a one-yard run, expanding their lead to 23-3. He caught passes of 12 and 13 yards on the drive, and also carried a direct snap for four yards.

Conner’s second score came in response to Maye again, this time after New England’s first touchdown. The Cardinals drove 70 yards downfield on the ensuing drive, mimicking their previous offensive results. Conner capped off the drive with another one-yard score.

It’s not rocket science — Conner needs to touch the ball. When he gets his just due, the Cardinals just do better… and so does his quarterback.

Kyler Murray can succeed if you take the pressure off

Murray playing isn’t the problem. Murray playing with too much responsibility is an absolute headache.

The quarterback finally ended his three-game interception skid with a 224-yard outing on 23-30 completions (76.7%). He wasn’t able to find the end zone, but at least he didn’t give it to the other team as he’s been doing.

It’s a product of what happens when you set things up methodically. In addition to Conner’s 16 carries, the Cardinals tallied an additional 16 touches between Murray (5) and five other ball carriers. Gannon is giving his quarterback a chance when he has all 10 guys being utilized to of their best abilities.

That shouldn’t discredit him as a QB — he still has to make decisions and make plays.

We all await the separation of Cardinals’ 2024 first round draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. from the rest of the pack, but that wasn’t happening with Patriots star corner back Christian Gonzales draped all over him. Harrison finished with two catches for 32 yards.

Murray had to go back to his bread-and-butter this season to get things rolling, finding tight end Trey McBride nine times for 87 yards. He has no trouble finding McBride, but the dynamic duo seem to be allergic to the end zone. Maybe by the the end of the season he can hook up with McBride for a well-deserved score. He is Arizona’s Walter Payton Man of the Year.

Please chill out on Murray and let him play football. Lower the expectation that it needs to be all on him because that’s just not true. Use the man in the backfield you just paid for another two years and Murray will find his place.

Drake Maye will be better the next time he faces Arizona

There is no doubt the Cardinals were prepared for Maye this week, but Gannon was absolutely right about the rookie quarterback: he is getting better as the season goes on.

Maye loves his tight ends, and the Cardinals let it be known they had no love for them. His favorite target, tight end Hunter Henry, only had four catches for 25 yards. It’s the first time in three games the tight end had less than five catches and 40 yards. He was forced to target other receivers, and he did it successfully.

Don’t let his fourth quarter interception fool you, Maye was almost flawless against the Cardinals.

The rookie completed 19-23 passes (82.6%) for 202 yards, immediately responding back to his interception with a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demario Douglas on his next drive.

The Patriots play in a completely different conference, so who knows the next time that Maye will get to make the trip back to Arizona. But if he continues to play develop as rapidly as he has been, it’s not going to be as easy if and when he ever locks up with the Cardinals again.

The Cardinals are back…in the fight

Let’s all jump for joy and celebrate. It’s been a rough stretch and everyone deserves to take a deep breath and release some tension.

But let’s get back to reality: It’s just one game.

This is a game Arizona was supposed to win, playing a team at the bottom of the league. It should be a repeat next week since the Carolina Panthers (3-11,1-3) are even worse off than the Patriots. But that needs to be the final tune up before things get real.

After the Cardinals face the Panthers, they finish the see with division matchups with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. The Rams have been the Rams we know them to be since the return of wide receiver Puka Nacua and the 49ers are still going to be tough despite having one of their worst seasons in the last decade.

There is still work to do. Both sides of the ball can always be be better. But what the Cardinals displayed on Sunday is a great start to get to who they’ll need to be if they still want to have the chance to fight for a spot in the playoffs.

James Conner is key to success amidst Cardinals’ passing woes

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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State and other Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live.

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