How many games did special teams cost the Cardinals in 2016?

[RugbyMuffin]

Good question brought up here (cheap plug):

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/posts/3529719/

I went looking, and it is arguable, so why not put it to the board ?

Week 1:
Cardinals lose to Pats 23-21, Catanzaro misses 47 yard FG with 41 seconds left in the game. Low snap.

Week 2:
Cardinals beat Bucs

Week 3:
Cardinals lose to Bills 33-18, Punter goes out of the game with an injury, bad snap leads to a TD. Cardinals also got their butts handed to them in the running game. Long snapper cut after game.

Week 4:
Cardinals lose to Rams 17-13, 47 punt return in the 4th quarter sets up game winning TD for Rams.

Week 5:
Cardinals beat Niners (Drew Stanton Baby!)

Week 6:
Cardinals beat Jets

Week 7:
Cardinals tie the Seahawks 6-6. Field Goal blocked in the 2nd quarter, Punt blocked in 4th quarter, Seattle's offense does nothing but they get a FG, Catanzaro misses a 24 yard field goal in OT.

Week 8:
Cardinals lose to Panthers, because they just get smoked in that game, it was over before halftime.

Week 9:
BYE

Week 10:
Cardinals beat the Niners

Week 11:
Cardinals lose to Viking 30-24. Cordelle Patterson opens up the 2nd half with a 104 yard kick off return.

Week 12:
Cardinals lose to the Falcons, because they just get smoked in that game, it was over when seconds after the opening kickoff.

Week 13:
Cardinals beat the Redskins

Week 14:
Cardinals lose to the Dolphins 26-23. Catanzaro misses two extra points, one of which is blocked and returned for 2 pts the other way, misses a field goal as well.

Week 15:
Cardinals lose to Saints 48-41. Catanzaro misses a field goal, and an extra point.

Week 16:
Cardinals beat the Seahawks

Week 17:
Cardinals beat the Rams

 

[NJCardFan]

Week 8:
Cardinals lose to Panthers, because they just get smoked in that game, it was over before halftime.

I wouldn't say smoked but the tone was set when they called Palmer's obvious pass attempt a fumble that was returned for a TD. And I say 5:

NE
STL
SEA
MIN
MIA

The Bills game, yes there were ST screw ups but the Cards simply didn't show up to play that day. And you're wrong about the Atlanta game. The game wasn't over within seconds of the opening kickoff because the Cards actually led that game 7-0 and 10-7 and was 17-13 at halftime. The wheels fell off in the 2nd half.

 

[cardncubfan]

Weeks 1,7, & 14

 

[CardsFan88]

Five, with one a tie instead of a win for a 6th non-win. I think in one or two we were probably going to lose anyways, just because teams generally do lose a game or so due to special teams a year. But I personally think our ST completely ruined our season because it impacted nearly every one of our losses.

Yeah we had some other issues, but there's lots of times those miscues caused a snowball effect. I think Palmer pressed hard with those four 4th quarter INT's, because ST's had caused disaster earlier in that game and in game 1 which had Palmer looking at a 1-2 start if he didn't press.

Sad thing is, we were moving the ball so much in the 2nd half, that we didn't need 4 TD's in the 4th quarter to win. If he just played a bit safer, we might have escaped that one with a win.

I really think that the national media saw our record and judged us off that instead of realizing that by far and away ST's destroyed our season. With a relatively normal ST's year imo we have ~12 wins, make the playoffs, and who knows.

It had to be some of the worst special teams in NFL history. Just getting back to a relatively normal ST situation makes a much better team. It also should be the easiest change possible in the NFL, and we've made significant changes to it.

So here's to hoping it's fixed

 

[Dr. Jones]

3 for sure.... Maybe 4 if you squint a little. Definitely cost us the wild card and maybe the division.

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[RugbyMuffin]

3 for sure.... Maybe 4 if you squint a little. Definitely cost us the wild card and maybe the division.

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Well put.

I knew 3 for certain, and then said "well, I can blame special teams for 1 out of the other four, but take your pick."

 

[NJCardFan]

To be honest, the 6-6 tie was a microcosm of the season. When discussing the 2016 Cardinals, all you have to do is point to that game as to why we didn't have a better record.

 

[Phrazbit]

Three for sure, weeks 1, 7 and 14... then an argument can be made for the Bills and Rams games too.

Especially the Bills, what a disaster that game was.

 

[NJCardFan]

Three for sure, weeks 1, 7 and 14... then an argument can be made for the Bills and Rams games too.

Especially the Bills, what a disaster that game was.

The Rams game for sure. Up 13-10 and the Rams couldn't move the ball all day. We punt, it's returned 47 yards with an additional 15 yards tacked on thinks to a facemask giving the Rams the ball in the 19. They score taking the lead forcing Drew Stanton into comback mode which isn't happening.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Enough games that it cost them a playoff berth for sure. I would say 5 games would have had a different outcome but that didn't happen. And I was a Catanazaro backer too.

The Cards made a huge mistake going with a rookie LS. That kind of sent the ST's into a downward spiral all year. You need a good reliable vet at that position.

 

[Bodha]

Only 1. Week #1

After that Bruce Arians is responsible for them all for not firing Amos or yanking our awful LS/Punter/K sooner.

 

[Shaggy]

Week 1, 4, and 7.

 

[Shaggy]

Only 1. Week #1

After that Bruce Arians is responsible for them all for not firing Amos or yanking our awful LS/Punter/K sooner.

Cat missing the field goal to win it wasn't a ST mistake?

 

[Dback Jon]

Enough games that it cost them a playoff berth for sure. I would say 5 games would have had a different outcome but that didn't happen. And I was a Catanazaro backer too.

The Cards made a huge mistake going with a rookie LS. That kind of sent the ST's into a downward spiral all year. You need a good reliable vet at that position.

I always ponder what the Cards season would have been like had they made that Field Goal and beat the Patriots.

 

[Bodha]

Cat missing the field goal to win it wasn't a ST mistake?

The Seattle game? I dont really blame STs for that. The offense lost that game. If you only manage 6 points over the course of 4 quarters, you dont deserve OT. Both teams shouldve gotten an L for that.

 

[kerouac9]

Cat's gone. Not much use in second-guessing that problem. Same with Drew Butler. Mostly, when I posed the question in the other thread, I wondered aloud what coaching mistakes on special teams cost the Cards in terms of games. For me, that screens out bad kicks and snaps.

I'm fine with laying the Rams game at Amos's feet.

IMO, league-average special teams play doesn't win the Seattle game.


Weirdly, the Vikes had a 66% win expectancy before that KO return.

I voted for 3. On closer inspection, I might change that to 1.

 

[splitsecond]

We don't lose morale and lose to BUF and MIN if those big plays against us don't happen, and we tied SEA, so 5. We had already given up on the season by the time NO came to town plus we had a lot of injuries.

 

[pmacLean]

I just voted for 7 (must be at LEAST 6). Yes, a few bad kicks cost games directly, no one seems to be mentioning the absolutely abysmal kick coverage by the Cardinals... sure our kick would be bad... then we'd give them another 25-35 yds anyway... over and over... I am surprised I have any hair left after watching this over and over... Amos deserved coach of the year... if you can't get fired over that, then you are obviously doing something so spectacular (that no one else can see) that it completely absolves you from any responsibility... maybe we will all get a glimpse of that this year, if not, if special teams is as abysmal as last year, then Bruce has to go... no matter what record we have, because, it will be evident that he is no longer capable of objective judgement

 

[AZ Native]

I always ponder what the Cards season would have been like had they made that Field Goal and beat the Patriots.

MO is big, I think it changed our whole season. We'll never know for sure.