The Arizona Cardinals struggle to stave off the lingering frustration that comes after such an embarrassing loss, like the 23-21 shortfall to the New England Patriots last Sunday. Had the late, great coach Dennis Green still been alive, he might’ve said, If you want to crown the Patriots, then crown ’em then. But, realistically, the Cards could’ve had that game and they let it get away.
No loss is worse than the first one of the season, especially if it’s in week one, AND especially when the bar of season expectations for this team is raised so high. Had kicker Chandler Catanzaro made the three-pointer at the end of the game last Sunday, this would be a very different and more positive write, and feelings from Cardinals fans would not be so bitter. Hopefully, the team learns quickly from this loss and quickly rightens their proverbial sinking ship.
Arizona Cardinals Week 2 Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This week, the 0-1 Cardinals face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who beat the Atlanta Falcons 31-24 last Sunday. Statistically, a team who starts the year with a 1-1 record will make the play-offs 47% of the time. Dropping off considerably, teams who start with two straight losses to start the season only make the play-offs 14% of the time. Sunday’s match up is more of a must win for the Cardinals than ever before.
Game time is Sunday at 1:05pm MST.
A little something about the Buccaneers…
New Buccaneers head coach, Dirk Koetter has ties with Arizona from a decade ago when he was the head coach at Arizona State.
Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston is in his second year as starting quarterback for the Bucs. His rookie season was more of a learning phase for the young gun-slinger, and the team finished 6-10 overall. This year for Winston, the training wheels are off.
In last week’s win against the Atlanta Falcons, Winston (NFC offensive player of the week) threw 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards. On four different scoring drives, Winston hooked up with wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Charles Sims, and two tight ends: Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and Brandon Meyers.
Pre-Game Notables
On Tuesday, the Cardinals claimed cornerback Tharold Simon off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks. This move should help on defense to improve the Cardinals’ porous backfield.
With limited practice on Wednesday, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had his status changed from healthy to questionable. Fitzgerald injured his knee on a late fourth quarter catch last week. C’mon, you know which catch. For the record, Fitz finished the day with eight receptions for 81 yards and two touchdown catches including the 100th of his illustrious career.
Not practicing on Wednesday were four players: offensive linebacker Martin Kareem (knee), guard Evan Mathis (foot), wide receiver J.J. Nelson (shoulder), and defensive tackle Frostee Rucker (knee). Whether or not any of these players can play on Sunday is not known at this time.
Players who will play on Sunday, cornerback Justin Bethel (foot) and punter Drew Butler (left ankle), both had full practices on Wednesday.
Keys To The Game*
*Timing and routes. Game play in last week’s loss appeared careless and sloppy. Too many inaccurate throws and near interceptions were attributed to quarterback Carson Palmer’s possible misreads, the timing seemed off, and it appeared receivers were not running proper routes. Hopefully, this issue was addressed in practice by Coach Bruce Arians and players will come out more focused against the Bucs.
