Rams-24 Cards-22: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

[Darkside]

What about Lupati, he can't pass block to save his life

I thought Lupati and Cooper both played poorly. Lupati got pushed back with amazing ease. Granted, against the best D-line in football, what's more concerning is Cooper's continuing inability to switch off and pick up stunts and twists by LB'ers. With his feet being what they are, that's a mental thing. And when the guys next to you can't trust you to pick up the man they're letting rub off, chaos ensues. They were simple twists too, and often Cooper helped double a man already blocked instead of sliding over. Fact is though, the offensive line didn't lose this game. It was a team effort.

 

[juza76]

I thought Lupati and Cooper both played poorly. Lupati got pushed back with amazing ease. Granted, against the best D-line in football, what's more concerning is Cooper's continuing inability to switch off and pick up stunts and twists by LB'ers. With his feet being what they are, that's a mental thing. And when the guys next to you can't trust you to pick up the man they're letting rub off, chaos ensues. They were simple twists too, and often Cooper helped double a man already blocked instead of sliding over. Fact is though, the offensive line didn't lose this game. It was a team effort.

I think Cooper did a good Job against The Best defensive tackle in the nfl

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I'm sorry... I'm seeing a lot of people convincing themselves how good we really are because of how close we came to winning and can't help but laugh. We were at home, a sizable favorite against a team the entire board was universally mocking (for good reason considering how AWFUL the Rams looked the last two weeks)... who we beat 3 straight times and LOST. How that shows ANYTHING but this team might not be as good as we thought it was prior to today is beyond me.

The Rams were mediocre at best coming into today's game and still are... and we lost to them, AT HOME. There's nothing good about that, IMO. If this was a road game we lost in this fashion... or a game we lost by 2 to the Hawks/Pack, I'd get your comments, but that isn't what happened.

We played like crap and lost a division game at home to a mediocre opponent. That sucks any way you cut it, especially as you head out for the next 6 of 8 on the road.

Dude lets give the Rams credit. They made some AMAZING plays. That helmet catch? FFS. The Foles 2nd and 3rd TDs were Tom Brady Light with good coverage and rush. The hit on Fitz was an amazing defensive play.

And everything went wrong for us. And yes we still almost won. I didnt see any flaws exposed did you? We still ran the ball at will, we threw the ball when we wanted, played good defense when we didnt give them a short field (those 17 pts of TO's were KILLER) and just like we werent 11/11 good (im not counting the FG at the end of half in the red zone) in the red zone coming in we certainly arent 1 for 6 bad either. And the fumbles from Fitz and DJ? I would be suprised if either has another one all season.

Plus the Rams and Fisher play well against the division. Always. NFCW is just different. The difference between us and the Rams is we actually beat the **** out of teams we should and out of the division. They dont.

Im more emboldened then ever on this team. Sure I wanted to win but A) we didnt get injured and those pop a shot MF'ers were definitely trying to hurt us and B) we still should have won this game although we shot ourselves time and time again.

Brother you can think everyones crazy if you want. What development from this game worries you going forward? Other then we lost a division game at home against a team we are better then, if anything I feel pretty great. Watch us go lay the wood now on DET and PITT because of how pissed everyone is going to be. Book it

 

[Arizona's Finest]

That loss will haunt the Cardinals.

It pretty much tells us that we are not an elite team as elite teams do not lose games like that.

It also confirms to me in my own opinion what I have thought for a long long time.

In my opinion and I know I am going to get a lot of crap for saying this. the NFL is fixed.

Yeah I said it.

I believe that the NFL monkey's with games to keep them interesting. To make more money.

It plays favorites I believe and those favorites change and are based on some kind of idiotic plan that will maximize fan interest.

I believe I've seen this across a wide spectrum of teams it just simply can't be that they are that inept that fumble call where it said forward progress was stopped is just one example of many.

That call is hard to fathom and it's not like good teams would not rise above something like that or that we couldn't and shouldn't have risen above it we should have.

It does however mean that my days as an NFL fan are over.

I'm done and maybe I'm completely off base but why would I waste my time on a sport that I don't believe has any integrity?

Good question and my answer is I won't.

I really do care about the Cardinals and wish them well and I wish everyone on this board well and I hope that I am wrong because I would frankly rather be wrong than face the possibility that I'm right.

I can't ignore my eyes though and my own eyes tell me that in my opinion I'm right about this and it's just not worth my time anymore.

LOL okay we will see. Chicken little aint never leaving this team I guess.

This is the NFL and we were never going 16-0. I am not sure what about this loss scared you but if you are going to lose, you want to lose in the horrible, no good, very terrible day way we did. None of that **** will ever be replicated. And the Rams just wanted it more. Which I dont love, but after Arians made those comments last game you knew this was coming.

I do NOT think this portends bad things for the future. We gave up 4 sacks to the best dline in the game, held Donald in check, and their offense had to make miraculous throws to get the 24 damn points they did.

It was their day. Rams get paid too. Geez either those freaking out underplayed how tightly contested the division games will be (non 49ers) or any loss under any circumstances will freak you out because - hey lets be real - you just want to freak out about the team.

I would gladly trade the loss to no significant injury which these MF'ers were going for all game. Im just glad our QB got out alive.

Would you rather be the Rams at 2-2 and this win and ALec Olgletree out for the season or the Cards at 3-1 with health intact? Exactly.

Relllllllaxxxxxxx. We lose to DET and PITT then its time to freak out. But that wont happen so just Netflix and chill till next weekend.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I think Cooper did a good Job against The Best defensive tackle in the nfl

yeah me too. Donald was the best defensive player in the league through three games. He was mostly a ghost yesterday.

We are a Robert Quinn amazing deflection from being 4-0 and all of the sudden the narrative changes and its how scrappy of winners we are. There is a thin line there and winning the game still wouldnt have changed the fact that we came out low intensity for a game we shouldnt have and made mental mistake after mental mistake. By losing 24-22 I STILL say we are 14+ pts better then the Rams even if we play our C game. It just so happens we brought the F game and lost by 2. Oh well.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

That loss will haunt the Cardinals.

It pretty much tells us that we are not an elite team as elite teams do not lose games like that.

It also confirms to me in my own opinion what I have thought for a long long time.

In my opinion and I know I am going to get a lot of crap for saying this. the NFL is fixed.

Yeah I said it.

I believe that the NFL monkey's with games to keep them interesting. To make more money.

It plays favorites I believe and those favorites change and are based on some kind of idiotic plan that will maximize fan interest.

I believe I've seen this across a wide spectrum of teams it just simply can't be that they are that inept that fumble call where it said forward progress was stopped is just one example of many.

That call is hard to fathom and it's not like good teams would not rise above something like that or that we couldn't and shouldn't have risen above it we should have.

It does however mean that my days as an NFL fan are over.

I'm done and maybe I'm completely off base but why would I waste my time on a sport that I don't believe has any integrity?

Good question and my answer is I won't.

I really do care about the Cardinals and wish them well and I wish everyone on this board well and I hope that I am wrong because I would frankly rather be wrong than face the possibility that I'm right.

I can't ignore my eyes though and my own eyes tell me that in my opinion I'm right about this and it's just not worth my time anymore.

Also while those two non calls ABSOLUTELY CHANGED THE GAME, i do not agree it was fixed. Refs make mistake and until we completely remove the human element it will always be there. The non reviewable plays is a dumb dumb rule though. Everything should be reviewable. The point is to get it right period.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Dude lets give the Rams credit. They made some AMAZING plays. That helmet catch? FFS. The Foles 2nd and 3rd TDs were Tom Brady Light with good coverage and rush. The hit on Fitz was an amazing defensive play.

And everything went wrong for us. And yes we still almost won. I didnt see any flaws exposed did you? We still ran the ball at will, we threw the ball when we wanted, played good defense when we didnt give them a short field (those 17 pts of TO's were KILLER) and just like we werent 11/11 good (im not counting the FG at the end of half in the red zone) in the red zone coming in we certainly arent 1 for 6 bad either. And the fumbles from Fitz and DJ? I would be suprised if either has another one all season.

Plus the Rams and Fisher play well against the division. Always. NFCW is just different. The difference between us and the Rams is we actually beat the **** out of teams we should and out of the division. They dont.

Im more emboldened then ever on this team. Sure I wanted to win but A) we didnt get injured and those pop a shot MF'ers were definitely trying to hurt us and B) we still should have won this game although we shot ourselves time and time again.

Brother you can think everyones crazy if you want. What development from this game worries you going forward? Other then we lost a division game at home against a team we are better then, if anything I feel pretty great. Watch us go lay the wood now on DET and PITT because of how pissed everyone is going to be. Book it

Oh man... You had to BOOK IT!

What worries me moving forward is that our pass rush is non-existent, and our run D is leaky. That's a recipe for disaster against Seattle and especially GB. What also worries me is in a race for HFA, we just lost a very winnable conference/division game and are looking at 6 of the next 8 on the road, where we haven't been world beaters under Arians. For sure, they've been better on the road then any other regime, but that's a lot of roadies coming up.

Also, a little of what worries me is that this was the first game against an opponent with a pulse and we lost... At home. Just gives me pause about how good this team can be. I still think they're a solid team with potential, but I'm pumping the breaks on how Super they are at this point.

 

[Covert Rain]

Elite teams should beat bad ones. Period. You see Green Bay do it. You see the Patriots do it. Honestly, we are not in that tier. I still think the Cards are good but you can't lose to a team like this and call yourself elite.

Let's put this into perspective in Week 4. We have played 4 teams with a combined record of 5 wins and 11 losses. If things stay the same the next 5 on our schedule are teams also struggling (combined 5 wins, 13 losses).

The Cards MUST take advantage of the schedule to be taken seriously. Especially, leading up to the Bengals on Nov 22nd. If the Cards take care of business that game could be huge in terms of sending a message to the NFL (assuming Bengals keep winning).

As is stands now, our schedule looks pretty ripe for the picking if you look at the teams on our schedule and their current records. Yes, much can change but this schedule looks very favorable if teams stay on the current trajectory.

I think there is just no way this team can call itself elite with whom we have played and who is on the short term part of our schedule. That Nov 22nd game looms large IMO and might be the first real test until we get to the Packers. Again..this all hinges on the Cards proving they can take care of business.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

The non reviewable plays is a dumb dumb rule though. Everything should be reviewable. The point is to get it right period.

+1

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Oh man... You had to BOOK IT!

What worries me moving forward is that our pass rush is non-existent, and our run D is leaky. That's a recipe for disaster against Seattle and especially GB. What also worries me is in a race for HFA, we just lost a very winnable conference/division game and are looking at 6 of the next 8 on the road, where we haven't been world beaters under Arians. For sure, they've been better on the road then any other regime, but that's a lot of roadies coming up.

Also, a little of what worries me is that this was the first game against an opponent with a pulse and we lost... At home. Just gives me pause about how good this team can be. I still think they're a solid team with potential, but I'm pumping the breaks on how Super they are at this point.

I agree with you on the pass rush, but this is the first sign the run D is leaky and I see that as more Gurley and the defenses called as they were trying to create turnovers. We have been very good against the run (other then when they give up because Lindley is QB) with the exceptions being few and far between. I see yesterday as the exception and even then it was only 1.5 quarters.

We havent had a pass rush all season that gets sacks all season, but the pressure is mostly good and our secondary is so damn good that it makes up for it alot of the time.

IMO this is still the best team in the NFC but getting GB and SEA at home will be important. We are better team then GB IMO but Rodgers is on another planet and can win games by himself. At Lambeau we are toast but I would say 70/30 GB at home. They have no where near the defense Rams do and we get 4 TDs yesterday easy on GB.

As for Seattle - im not really buying. I feel like their defense isnt what it was with Kris Richard and depth leaving. I think their Oline is a tremendous problem, lack weapons, and this seems like the type of year they will never really be able to count on Lynch. Maybe it wont matter and they have championship mettle or whatever, but so far I am seeing a team that took a massive stomach punch and is still wobbling. Personally I dont think they can beat us at full strength in Az and I think we are one of the few teams with a fighting chance in SEA.

Again man I am just so happy we got out of this game with no significant injuries. I am not sure if people realize what a endemic problem it is with Gregg Williams coached defenses but those guys are MASSIVE cheap shot artists and it disgusts me. We beat them 8/10 times it just wasnt our day yesterday.

I was confounded that we didnt run the ball on 2nd and 2 or 3rd and 2 but it is what it is. I like Arians taking shots when they work so i have to deal with the otherside of it too.

I hate to say it but David Johnson cost us the game. If he doesnt fumble that firts kick off no way in hell they win. But that set a bad tone. Then for him to drop that TD was very very bad and set a bad tone for finishing in the red zone. The good news is that this will make him better and he did bounce back with the TD.

My main takeaways:

Patrick Peterson is playing like the best CB in the game
Honey Badger is the leader of our defense
CC played like the best DLineman in the game which is saying something against that front
We can really really run the ball
We have really really nice weapons to throw too
Our Oline is the best its ever been. For them to get the push they did and "only" give up 4 sacks but keep a clean pocket the rest of the game was telling.
And lastly our QB is no longer the TO machine he was in Oakland and end of Bengals career. Its reminiscent of Wiz and Haley working with Warner and taking away what I thought was a debilitating problem (INTS and fumbles) and cutting them out almost entirely so you can enjoy the beauty of Palmer/Warners throws and timing.

Im a Kool Aid guy and while I would love to be 4-0 right now, im not that upset about the game. Lets go beat up on a tired Detroit team and get back in the right column.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Elite teams should beat bad ones. Period. You see Green Bay do it. You see the Patriots do it. Honestly, we are not in that tier. I still think the Cards are good but you can't lose to a team like this and call yourself elite.

Let's put this into perspective in Week 4. We have played 4 teams with a combined record of 5 wins and 11 losses. If things stay the same the next 5 on our schedule are teams also struggling (combined 5 wins, 13 losses).

The Cards MUST take advantage of the schedule to be taken seriously. Especially, leading up to the Bengals on Nov 22nd. If the Cards take care of business that game could be huge in terms of sending a message to the NFL (assuming Bengals keep winning).

As is stands now, our schedule looks pretty ripe for the picking if you look at the teams on our schedule and their current records. Yes, much can change but this schedule looks very favorable if teams stay on the current trajectory.

I think there is just no way this team can call itself elite with whom we have played and who is on the short term part of our schedule. That Nov 22nd game looms large IMO and might be the first real test until we get to the Packers. Again..this all hinges on the Cards proving they can take care of business.

Bro how much you want to bet sometime in the next 4 games BOTH the Pats and Packers lose to a team they shouldnt? It happens ALL the time, every year, ALL the time lol. This is the NFL man not college football.

LOL WE actually do a great job of beating the teams we should. Go look at the numbers last 2 years. This is a division game and those are much much tougher and lets be real Fisher coaches his ass off 6 games a year.

So funny man people can only remember what they saw the Sunday before. Just relax if we lose to both DET and PITT sound the alarms. But those are both games we should win, and yanno what I think? Well win them both.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I agree with you on the pass rush, but this is the first sign the run D is leaky and I see that as more Gurley and the defenses called as they were trying to create turnovers. We have been very good against the run (other then when they give up because Lindley is QB) with the exceptions being few and far between. I see yesterday as the exception and even then it was only 1.5 quarters.

We havent had a pass rush all season that gets sacks all season, but the pressure is mostly good and our secondary is so damn good that it makes up for it alot of the time.

IMO this is still the best team in the NFC but getting GB and SEA at home will be important. We are better team then GB IMO but Rodgers is on another planet and can win games by himself. At Lambeau we are toast but I would say 70/30 GB at home. They have no where near the defense Rams do and we get 4 TDs yesterday easy on GB.

As for Seattle - im not really buying. I feel like their defense isnt what it was with Kris Richard and depth leaving. I think their Oline is a tremendous problem, lack weapons, and this seems like the type of year they will never really be able to count on Lynch. Maybe it wont matter and they have championship mettle or whatever, but so far I am seeing a team that took a massive stomach punch and is still wobbling. Personally I dont think they can beat us at full strength in Az and I think we are one of the few teams with a fighting chance in SEA.

Again man I am just so happy we got out of this game with no significant injuries. I am not sure if people realize what a massive problem it is but those guys are MASSIVE cheap shot artists and it disgusts me. We beat them 8/10 times it just wasnt our day yesterday.

I was confounded that we didnt run the ball on 2nd and 2 or 3rd and 2 but it is what it is. I like Arians taking shots when they work so i have to deal with the otherside of it too.

I hate to say it but David Johnson cost us the game. If he doesnt fumble that firts kick off no way in hell they win. But that set a bad tone. Then for him to drop that TD was very very bad and set a bad tone for finishing in the red zone. The good news is that this will make him better and he did bounce back with the TD.

My main takeaways:

Patrick Peterson is playing like the best CB in the game
Honey Badger is the leader of our defense
CC played like the best DLineman in the game which is saying something against that front
We can really really run the ball
We have really really nice weapons to throw too
Our Oline is the best its ever been. For them to get the push they did and "only" give up 4 sacks but keep a clean pocket the rest of the game was telling.
And lastly our QB is no longer the TO machine he was in Oakland and end of Bengals career. Its reminiscent of Wiz and Haley working with Warner and taking away what I thought was a debilitating problem (INTS and fumbles) and cutting them out almost entirely so you can enjoy the beauty of Palmer/Warners throws and timing.

Im a Kool Aid guy and while I would love to be 4-0 right now, im not that upset about the game. Lets go beat up on a tired Detroit team and get back in the right column.

I just really want it to be next Sunday and see how this team responds, on the road against another bad team. Just haven't ever been that disappointed by an Arians team, especially at home.

 

[Covert Rain]

Bro how much you want to bet sometime in the next 4 games BOTH the Pats and Packers lose to a team they shouldnt? It happens ALL the time, every year, ALL the time lol. This is the NFL man not college football.

LOL WE actually do a great job of beating the teams we should. Go look at the numbers last 2 years. This is a division game and those are much much tougher and lets be real Fisher coaches his ass off 6 games a year.

So funny man people can only remember what they saw the Sunday before. Just relax if we lose to both DET and PITT sound the alarms. But those are both games we should win, and yanno what I think? Well win them both.

Sure it happens but the big difference is teams like the Patriots and Packers have a history of taking care of business and when they do lose one of those it feels like it's completely out of character. You criticize people for forgetting what happens from Sunday to Sunday but at the same time you dismissing our track record. Since when is the Cards losing to an inferior team feel like it's out of character? I think we are getting there but we are not there yet.

Again...I said I still feel like this is a good team. However, before anybody crowns them as elite...don't you think we need to beat up on the other great to elite teams in the league? That's what I am saying.

Take care of these scrub teams FIRST and then get to the point in your schedule where you can make a statement....then make it.

 

[gmabel830]

Bro how much you want to bet sometime in the next 4 games BOTH the Pats and Packers lose to a team they shouldnt? It happens ALL the time, every year, ALL the time lol. This is the NFL man not college football.

Last year the Packers got blown out by the Saints (who finished 7-9) and the Pats got blown out by the Chiefs (who finished 9-7).

 

[Cheesebeef]

Last year the Packers got blown out by the Saints (who finished 7-9) and the Pats got blown out by the Chiefs (who finished 9-7).

both teams routinely win their division/playoff games and have won Super Bowls. And neither of those games were at home. That's where I take issue with people saying this happens to other great teams. We've yet to prove we're one of those great teams, thus the consternation after a game like yesterday.

 

[SO91]

both teams routinely win their division/playoff games and have won Super Bowls. And neither of those games were at home. That's where I take issue with people saying this happens to other great teams. We've yet to prove we're one of those great teams, thus the consternation after a game like yesterday.

Even really good teams have stinkers at home. A few years ago those great Patriots lost to us at home and we went on to have a dreadful season. Bad game, but I'm looking forward to see how the respond on the road.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Even really good teams have stinkers at home. A few years ago those great Patriots lost to us at home and we went on to have a dreadful season. Bad game, but I'm looking forward to see how the respond on the road.

again, if we were the Pats and continually showed the ability to rip off monster winning streaks that led to division titles/playoff wins/super bowl appearances and wins, I wouldn't be as worried. But for us to have to come so freaking flat at home, in a winnable game where the margin for error in our division and conference so early in the season just left a super bad taste in my mouth.

 

[SO91]

again, if we were the Pats and continually showed the ability to rip off monster winning streaks that led to division titles/playoff wins/super bowl appearances and wins, I wouldn't be as worried. But for us to have to come so freaking flat at home, in a winnable game where the margin for error in our division and conference so early in the season just left a super bad taste in my mouth.

I didn't think we came out that flat. Not as great as we did against the 9ers, but it's not like we were dreadful. Bad stuff happened all game long, even though we only punted ONCE the whole game. Think about that for a second. It was a really frustrating game to watch, but it didn't really leave a bad taste in my mouth like in other years. I guess I'm looking forward to see how they respond. I don't think we are as good as we looked (meaning we're not going to demolish teams and hang 40+ on everybody), but we're a lot better than what the end result was Sunday.

 

[Darkside]

Couple of random thoughts:

1. BA wasn't overconfident. His team was. He kept telling them over and over they weren't ****. He kept telling them it's easier to get to the top than to stay on top. Those are warning signs from a coach who doesn't pull punches. You only say that if you know they're getting full of themselves.

BA 1.0: if you're going to call out a division rival for always being 8-8, you have to prepare your team and not let them get manhandled and mauled like children playing against men. Their line and linebackers were in our backfield all day. And it wasn't just defensively. People can say whatever they want about Gurley, but he also manhandled our defense, there's no other way to put it. He was running through arm-tackles and hitting our LB's in the mouth (when he wasn't running past them).

2. On Catman's short kickoffs. I honestly believe it's because he got creamed twice on returns, just obliterated. Sometimes when you get hit like that your body isn't right for awhile, things tingle or turn numb when they shouldn't. I was amazed he stayed in and made all 5 of his FG's to be honest.

3. Palmer's arm strength is fine in my opinion. On the INT, he simply threw the ball late. The safety reacted when he saw Palmer re-situating in the pocket and was able to recover. I've watched the play over and over and he reacts as he see's what Palmer is doing. If the throw is made on time that's a TD every day. Wasn't an arm strength issue, was a timing issue.

4. BA's playcalling wasn't as bad as people claim. The plays were there to be made, as others have noted. DJ catches that touchdown and we win. There are other examples. I do find fault with putting DJ in on 4th and 2 with the game on the line however, and I also fault Palmer for throwing it to him. I don't have any issue with Palmer throwing it high, because DJ is a rook and I believe he was supposed to continue his route rather than trying to break it off (which made him shallower in depth). That's the problem with that playcall: you depend on a rookie, for starters, and he's a running back, and you're expecting him to run a crisp route and have good hands in a game when he'd shown Housler hands of stone all day. Expecting a rook to run a WR route to perfection, on 4th and 2, and catch it is asking too much. The percentages aren't on your side when you do that. It wasn't fair to the rest of the offense in my opinion.

5. We're good but we aren't great and we aren't elite. Especially defensively. Foles made some of the best throws of his life, and the only replay I need to see, to know how bad we are defensively at getting pressure, is his pump and resetting and throwing the TD. We had a full on blitz with man coverage everwhere and he had time to pump, reset, recock his arm, and score the TD. And that's against Nick freaking Foles.

(Edit: 6. Read last night we only had 6 runs in the second half. Unacceptable.)

 

[Mitch]

Couple of random thoughts:

1. BA wasn't overconfident. His team was. He kept telling them over and over they weren't ****. He kept telling them it's easier to get to the top than to stay on top. Those are warning signs from a coach who doesn't pull punches. You only say that if you know they're getting full of themselves.

BA 1.0: if you're going to call out a division rival for always being 8-8, you have to prepare your team and not let them get manhandled and mauled like children playing against men. Their line and linebackers were in our backfield all day. And it wasn't just defensively. People can say whatever they want about Gurley, but he also manhandled our defense, there's no other way to put it. He was running through arm-tackles and hitting our LB's in the mouth (when he wasn't running past them).

2. On Catman's short kickoffs. I honestly believe it's because he got creamed twice on returns, just obliterated. Sometimes when you get hit like that your body isn't right for awhile, things tingle or turn numb when they shouldn't. I was amazed he stayed in and made all 5 of his FG's to be honest.

3. Palmer's arm strength is fine in my opinion. On the INT, he simply threw the ball late. The safety reacted when he saw Palmer re-situating in the pocket and was able to recover. I've watched the play over and over and he reacts as he see's what Palmer is doing. If the throw is made on time that's a TD every day. Wasn't an arm strength issue, was a timing issue.

4. BA's playcalling wasn't as bad as people claim. The plays were there to be made, as others have noted. DJ catches that touchdown and we win. There are other examples. I do find fault with putting DJ in on 4th and 2 with the game on the line however, and I also fault Palmer for throwing it to him. I don't have any issue with Palmer throwing it high, because DJ is a rook and I believe he was supposed to continue his route rather than trying to break it off (which made him shallower in depth). That's the problem with that playcall: you depend on a rookie, for starters, and he's a running back, and you're expecting him to run a crisp route and have good hands in a game when he'd shown Housler hands of stone all day. Expecting a rook to run a WR route to perfection, on 4th and 2, and catch it is asking too much. The percentages aren't on your side when you do that. It wasn't fair to the rest of the offense in my opinion.

5. We're good but we aren't great and we aren't elite. Especially defensively. Foles made some of the best throws of his life, and the only replay I need to see, to know how bad we are defensively at getting pressure, is his pump and resetting and throwing the TD. We had a full on blitz with man coverage everwhere and he had time to pump, reset, recock his arm, and score the TD. And that's against Nick freaking Foles.

Good post.

 

[NJCardFan]

Elite teams should beat bad ones. Period. You see Green Bay do it. You see the Patriots do it. Honestly, we are not in that tier. I still think the Cards are good but you can't lose to a team like this and call yourself elite.

The Packers lost to the Bills last season. The Patriots lost to the Bills last season. The Seahawks lost to the Rams last season and this season. Point is, even good teams throw in a clunker now and then. The key is coming back from a bad loss. If we win next week on the road against a very potent offense all will be right in the world again.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The Packers lost to the Bills last season. The Patriots lost to the Bills last season. The Seahawks lost to the Rams last season and this season. Point is, even good teams throw in a clunker now and then. The key is coming back from a bad loss. If we win next week on the road against a very potent offense all will be right in the world again.

all games lost ON THE ROAD. This season is going to be a game of inches, especially with our brutal schedule down the stretch. I fear we'll be looking back at this one as the game that decides if we're a 1/2 seed or opening on the road in the wildcard round. Just can't give away bad losses at home and hope to get HFA in the playoffs.

 

[CardLogic]

The key is coming back from a bad loss. If we win next week on the road against a very potent offense all will be right in the world again.

I think we need to win 3 of the next 4, at a minimum; three of them on the road.

Four of four would, obviously, feel a lot better! Only two wins out of the four shouldn't be a surprise to anyone; but it sure as hell will be a dissappointment!

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think we need to win 3 of the next 4, at a minimum; three of them on the road.

Four of four would, obviously, feel a lot better! Only two wins out of the four shouldn't be a surprise to anyone; but it sure as hell will be a dissappointment!

if we want to stay in the hunt for the division, 3 of the next 4 is a must. Anything less and we're probably looking at a tight race for the wildcard, IMO.

 

[Crimson Warrior]

The Packers lost to the Bills last season. The Patriots lost to the Bills last season. The Seahawks lost to the Rams last season and this season. Point is, even good teams throw in a clunker now and then. The key is coming back from a bad loss. If we win next week on the road against a very potent offense all will be right in the world again.

What is so disheartening about this particular loss though, and what might be kind of winding people up, is that, even though we played poorly, and even though there was some questionable officiating, we still had the game right there for us to win, and we didn't do it.

It wouldn't have taken a hail mary, or recover an onside kickoff, or anything rare like that. We just needed another 10 yards or whatever to get into game winning field goal range, and then to make the kick. Fairly routine stuff. But, we couldn't make a couple of routine plays.

And leads us to what has me a little worried.

When Warner was on (not bad Kurt), he would make great throws no matter how pressure-packed the situation. As a result, we won a lot of big games against good teams. Think about that last drive against the Eagles in the NFC championship game. Trailing in the biggest game of the season, in the biggest game in the history of the franchise even, there was no room for error, and Kurt made ever play.

Palmer sailed two throws yesterday at the end of the game. Throws that he had made all game long. All season long in fact. The rams didn't put a lot of pressure on him on either throw. The only thing unique about those two throws was, when he was asked to make them, the game was on the line

I don't like how he reacted in that situation. It looks like he might have tightened up a little in a big moment.

Now don't get me wrong, I freaking love what CP has brought to this team. He's a top five QB in this league, and our runaway MVP. His overall talent, experience, and leadership give us a chance to win the superbowl. A chance we would not otherwise have with a Nick Foles for example.

But I'm a little worried by what I saw yesterday at the end of the game. We can fix all the other stuff that happened yesterday that made us lose. But we can't fix CP's poise. It's too late for that.

And there's going to come another point in this season, it might be against the Seahawks, or the Packers, or maybe even the Patriots, where the Cardinals don't go any further unless, on 4th and 7, Palmer makes a good throw. It'll be either he makes the throw and we (go on to) win, or he misses and we lose.

Is going to make that throw? Right now, I'm not sure.