Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Kliff Kingsbury and linebacker Jordan Hicks would not use the Cardinals' defensive predicament as an excuse after Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, but the attrition could not be ignored.
Starting cornerbacks Byron Murphy (COVID-19) and Dre Kirkpatrick (thigh) missed the game, and then top reserve Kevin Peterson suffered a concussion early in the 34-31 loss.
It forced undrafted rookie Jace Whittaker and newly-signed De'Vante Bausbyinto the fire as the only cornerback options beyond Patrick Peterson. Rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons also played some slot cornerback in certain packages.
The Dolphins' passing game clicked despite rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa making only his second career start, as he finished 20-of-28 for 248 yards and two touchdowns.
"We just didn't get it done," Kingsbury said. "There are no excuses. We brought (Whittaker and Bausby) in and they had practiced all week knowing that was a possibility. I'll have to watch the film to see how they played."
The defensive front was also missing outside linebacker Devon Kennard (COVID-19) while defensive tackle Jordan Phillips didn't play the entire way after entering the contest with a hamstring injury.
Between the injuries and some ill-timed penalties, the Cardinals' defense ended up allowing 27 points to a team that doesn't have great offensive pedigree.
"It's everybody," Hicks said. "It's not just one person, it's not just two people. At some point there was everybody saying, 'My bad.' And when you have too many 'My bads' from that many different people, it's going to look the way it did tonight."
The Cardinals threw a lot of different pressure packages at Tagovailoa and flummoxed him at times. Markus Golden had a sack, but a second was nullified when Leki Fotu was penalized for a facemask on a 2nd-and-20, and the Dolphins ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive.
Josh Mauro and De'Vondre Campbell added sacks but Hicks said the Cardinals' defense couldn't dictate the game because the Dolphins were rarely in uncomfortable spots.
"The problem is, we have to get him to third down (to blitz)," Hicks said. "If you look at the way the game went, we weren't getting him to third down."
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