Cardinals' Defense Hangs Tough Against Josh Allen, Bills

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The Cardinals' offense went dormant on two straight possessions as time ticked down, and Buffalo broke through on its final drive. Beasley made an acrobatic catch on third down to extend the drive and then Allen made enough throws to get Buffalo into the end zone.


"The second half we were playing very good defense," safety Budda Baker said. "Josh Allen was kind of getting confused with what we were doing. V.J. was calling great calls. That last drive, they get paid too. Great play, great catch, great throw."


The loss of Campbell forced rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmonsinto the game, and he seemed to do a nice job. Simmons finished with four tackles and a tackle for loss, including one play where he had a near-sack of Allen, got up after the ball was completed and brought down running back Devin Singletary to force a punt.


"Usually when new guys come in, offenses try to go after them," Baker said. "I didn't really see them go after Isaiah. He did his job."


Peters was carted off with a knee injury in the second quarter, leaving the Cardinals' defensive front without four of its five starters – Peters, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, defensive end Zach Allen and outside linebacker Chandler Jones – from the beginning of the year.


Kingsbury said the prognosis for Peters is unknown, but it could be bad news.


"Obviously it didn't look good, so we'll have to get a final check on that," Kingsbury said.


With so many disruptive pieces out on the defensive line, a standard rush wasn't getting enough pressure, so Joseph went exotic, regularly blitzing Baker and cornerback Byron Murphy into the backfield.


The Cardinals were on the precipice of several sacks but could never quite take Allen down. That was a microcosm of the defensive performance, as the group couldn't quite land the knockout punch.


"When we have an opportunity on defense to win the game, we've got to be able to do it," Hicks said.


But Hopkins did, after the defense kept the Bills in striking distance in the second half.


"We all bailed each other out," Hicks said.

DARRELL DANIELS CARTED OFF​

Tight end Darrell Daniels was carted to the locker room after an ankle injury in the first half. The severity is not yet known.

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