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A statement needed to be made. It had to be delivered with fury and force. There had to be no doubts about it because it required a definitive beatdown.
Anything less for the Arizona Cardinals against the godawful Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oct. 5, would have been inexcusable.
And that makes the Cardinals’ mind-numbing and unthinkable 22-21 loss at State Farm Stadium the absolute worst defeat in this team’s 38-year Arizona history.
Blowing a 21-6 fourth-quarter lead to a bumbling franchise like the previously winless Titans that were 0-4 and had dropped 10 straight dating back to last season was worse than that 2006 disaster to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football when then-coach Dennis Green pounded the podium and famously shouted out, “They are who we thought they were!”
Both games featured improbable comebacks by the opposing club — thanks to some strange, unexplainable plays that sometimes simply happen in the NFL. Lately, those things seem to be happening far too frequently for the Cardinals, who have been stung for three consecutive losses ending on field goals as time expired.
Back-to-back losses against NFC West rivals San Francisco and Seattle were bad enough. But losing to the Titans?
Things are so bad, especially after this latest debacle, the Cardinals might find themselves featured in the next remake of the horror-movie series “Final Destination.” They could add a subtitle called “The Curse of the Cardinals” or “The Birds who Fell from the Sky.”
Somebody asked coach Jonathan Gannon if this was the worst loss he’s ever experienced, and he was dumbfounded. He looked at me and asked for some perspective.
“I don’t know that,” Gannon said. “What do you think, Bob?”
I nodded my head and whispered “Yes” under my breath, but I don’t think Gannon heard me.
“We’ve had some bad ones,” the third-year head coach said, adding, “They’re all the same to me, honestly.”
But this one was the worst. At least for the Cardinals.
It didn’t come on as large a scale as Super Bowl 57, when Gannon’s defense for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 season choked away a late lead and lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium. Gannon was a defensive coordinator then.
He might end up becoming one again if the Cardinals continue losing like this.
Veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell said he counted “at least 10 plays” that helped cost his team the game. He was probably right and said the film review on Monday, Oct. 6, would likely prove it.
“If you don’t make the plays that are there for you and negate big plays with mistakes, it’s the NFL and you’re going to get beat,” he said, propping up one foot on the chair next to his locker as he spoke. “You’ve got to earn the win.”
The Cardinals didn’t. And whether there were 10 plays that doomed them or 20, there were at least three, specifically, that directly led to their downfall in the monumental fourth quarter.
On third-and-12 from the Arizona 28-yard line, the running back took a handoff and powered through a hole straight ahead and appeared to have scored on a 72-yard scamper. But with defensive back L’Jarius Sneed nipping at his heels, replays showed Demercado lost his grip on the football before fully crossing the goal line.
Whether it was premature celebrating or simply being lackadaisical, the touchdown was nullified, and the result was a touchback for the Titans because the ball rolled out of the back of the end zone. The Titans drove 80 yards in 2 minutes and could have made it a one-score game, but Joey Slye’s extra point was wide right, and it was 21-12 instead.
With just under 5 minutes remaining, Cardinals safety Dadrian Taylor-Demerson picked off a pass thrown by Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward that had been tipped by linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. Taylor-Demerson, however, fumbled the ball into the end zone, and Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Lockett recovered it for a Titans touchdown.
“Yeah, that cut it to two (21-19),” Gannon said. “Big play and sometimes the ball takes funny bounces, you know? I’ve seen that happen, crazy bounces, before. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.”
Following a miserable series by the Arizona offense that resulted in a punt and a corresponding chorus of boos raining down from the crowd, the Titans got the ball back with just under 2 minutes to play. On first-and-10 from the Tennessee 47, Ward spotted receiver Calvin Ridley streaming down the right sideline.
Kei’Trel Clark, starting at cornerback in place of the injured Max Melton, was doing his best to shadow him. But Ridley hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch that helped the Titans easily get into field goal range. Slye connected from 29 yards with no time on the clock, and the game was over.
“We have to figure out what type of fight we have in us, what type of mental toughness we have,” Campbell said. “This is going to really test us, and we’ve got to find out what we’re made of. What I hope we're made of. What I think we're made of. What I believe we're made of; is we're fighters and we're going to fight our way out of this. But until further notice, we’ve got to prove that.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' loss to Titans felt worse than '06 loss to Bears
Continue reading...
Anything less for the Arizona Cardinals against the godawful Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oct. 5, would have been inexcusable.
And that makes the Cardinals’ mind-numbing and unthinkable 22-21 loss at State Farm Stadium the absolute worst defeat in this team’s 38-year Arizona history.
Blowing a 21-6 fourth-quarter lead to a bumbling franchise like the previously winless Titans that were 0-4 and had dropped 10 straight dating back to last season was worse than that 2006 disaster to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football when then-coach Dennis Green pounded the podium and famously shouted out, “They are who we thought they were!”
Both games featured improbable comebacks by the opposing club — thanks to some strange, unexplainable plays that sometimes simply happen in the NFL. Lately, those things seem to be happening far too frequently for the Cardinals, who have been stung for three consecutive losses ending on field goals as time expired.
Back-to-back losses against NFC West rivals San Francisco and Seattle were bad enough. But losing to the Titans?
Things are so bad, especially after this latest debacle, the Cardinals might find themselves featured in the next remake of the horror-movie series “Final Destination.” They could add a subtitle called “The Curse of the Cardinals” or “The Birds who Fell from the Sky.”
Somebody asked coach Jonathan Gannon if this was the worst loss he’s ever experienced, and he was dumbfounded. He looked at me and asked for some perspective.
“I don’t know that,” Gannon said. “What do you think, Bob?”
I nodded my head and whispered “Yes” under my breath, but I don’t think Gannon heard me.
“We’ve had some bad ones,” the third-year head coach said, adding, “They’re all the same to me, honestly.”
But this one was the worst. At least for the Cardinals.
It didn’t come on as large a scale as Super Bowl 57, when Gannon’s defense for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 season choked away a late lead and lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium. Gannon was a defensive coordinator then.
He might end up becoming one again if the Cardinals continue losing like this.
Veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell said he counted “at least 10 plays” that helped cost his team the game. He was probably right and said the film review on Monday, Oct. 6, would likely prove it.
“If you don’t make the plays that are there for you and negate big plays with mistakes, it’s the NFL and you’re going to get beat,” he said, propping up one foot on the chair next to his locker as he spoke. “You’ve got to earn the win.”
The Cardinals didn’t. And whether there were 10 plays that doomed them or 20, there were at least three, specifically, that directly led to their downfall in the monumental fourth quarter.
Emari Demercado’s lapse in judgment
On third-and-12 from the Arizona 28-yard line, the running back took a handoff and powered through a hole straight ahead and appeared to have scored on a 72-yard scamper. But with defensive back L’Jarius Sneed nipping at his heels, replays showed Demercado lost his grip on the football before fully crossing the goal line.
Whether it was premature celebrating or simply being lackadaisical, the touchdown was nullified, and the result was a touchback for the Titans because the ball rolled out of the back of the end zone. The Titans drove 80 yards in 2 minutes and could have made it a one-score game, but Joey Slye’s extra point was wide right, and it was 21-12 instead.
The killer double turnover
With just under 5 minutes remaining, Cardinals safety Dadrian Taylor-Demerson picked off a pass thrown by Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward that had been tipped by linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. Taylor-Demerson, however, fumbled the ball into the end zone, and Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Lockett recovered it for a Titans touchdown.
“Yeah, that cut it to two (21-19),” Gannon said. “Big play and sometimes the ball takes funny bounces, you know? I’ve seen that happen, crazy bounces, before. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.”
The clutch 38-yard catch
Following a miserable series by the Arizona offense that resulted in a punt and a corresponding chorus of boos raining down from the crowd, the Titans got the ball back with just under 2 minutes to play. On first-and-10 from the Tennessee 47, Ward spotted receiver Calvin Ridley streaming down the right sideline.
Kei’Trel Clark, starting at cornerback in place of the injured Max Melton, was doing his best to shadow him. But Ridley hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch that helped the Titans easily get into field goal range. Slye connected from 29 yards with no time on the clock, and the game was over.
“We have to figure out what type of fight we have in us, what type of mental toughness we have,” Campbell said. “This is going to really test us, and we’ve got to find out what we’re made of. What I hope we're made of. What I think we're made of. What I believe we're made of; is we're fighters and we're going to fight our way out of this. But until further notice, we’ve got to prove that.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' loss to Titans felt worse than '06 loss to Bears
Continue reading...
