Arizona
Arizona Cardinals’ home frustrations boil over after close loss to Eagles
GLENDALE — So shut, but so distant.
The Arizona Cardinals have been knocking on the door of their first house victory since Week 7 of final season within the staff’s matchup towards the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Preventing again from down 14-0 at one level within the first half, Arizona put itself in a primary spot to greatest the final undefeated staff within the NFL on its closing drive of the afternoon. Or on the very least, kick a game-tying discipline objective and drive additional time.
As a substitute, Arizona acquired neither, after a Matt Ammendola discipline objective missed extensive proper, sealing yet one more consecutive loss 20-17 at house for the Cardinals.
The temper after the ultimate whistle mirrored as such, with offensive lineman Justin Pugh, tight finish Zach Ertz, quarterback Kyler Murray and plenty of others visibly upset with the sport’s final result.
“We’re not happy in any respect,” Ertz mentioned postgame. “We’re not comfortable. The temper is low, in notably as a result of we haven’t received at house shortly. I feel we’re all pissed off. We’re right here to get that solved and rectified and discover a option to win a soccer recreation right here in State Farm Stadium, however we simply didn’t make sufficient performs clearly.”
Whereas there have been a handful of performs that might have modified the result of the afternoon — together with the missed discipline objective on the finish — two stick out when trying again at what transpired.
Through the staff’s closing drive earlier than halftime that resulted in an Ammendola discipline objective, when Murray and extensive receiver Hollywood Brown had an actual shot at razoring by way of the protection forward of halftime.
After linking up for a 13-yard move to maneuver the chains, Murray went proper again to Brown throughout the center of the sector. The wideout was on their own with nothing however inexperienced in entrance of him. However as a substitute of turning the catch into factors, Brown couldn’t come down with the soccer.
A possible three-point Cardinals lead ended up being a four-point Eagles lead at halftime.
The subsequent play in query occurred through the Cardinals’ closing drive of the day.
Trying to convert on second-and-eight on Arizona’s personal 42-yard line and coming off a false begin penalty, Murray turned Ertz’s means 27 yards down the sector to get the offense again on monitor. However whereas the tight finish had his man beat after which some, Murray was off the mark and as a substitute sailed one over Ertz.
Now, the Cardinals managed to nonetheless transfer the chains on that closing drive earlier than Ammendola’s missed discipline objective try that may have drive additional time, however the what-if actually looms giant in what was a really winnable recreation towards the perfect staff in soccer record-wise.
However whereas the loss actually stings with simply how shut the Cardinals got here to knocking off the final undefeated staff, ending their house dropping streak and securing a successful file for when extensive receiver DeAndre Hopkins returns in Week 7, Murray and Co. can’t get caught taking a look at again at what may have been on Sunday.
“It’s one recreation. It hits all people in another way,” Murray mentioned. “Am I taking it onerous? Clearly. However on the finish of the day, we’ve got to maintain pushing ahead. Once more, one recreation, we acquired plenty of season left, we acquired an awesome staff, an awesome locker room.
“Assured in all people in that locker room, we simply acquired to get it collectively, put it collectively, as a result of proper now we’re not taking part in complementary soccer and that’s what it takes. Undefeated staff, we misplaced by three factors, may’ve simply received the sport, however too many errors.”