Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The Cardinals' offense was anemic in the first half. Tight end Dan Arnold scored a 59-yard touchdown on a blown coverage on the first drive, but that was followed up by four consecutive three-and-outs that amassed a total of one yard.
KeeSean Johnson was the only wide receiver in the first half with a catch – one for six yards – and when the Cardinals finally did get into field goal range before intermission, kicker Zane Gonzalez missed the 48-yard attempt.
"When you lose by 10 points, you look back and say, 'What could we have done?'" Murray said. "If we had a better first half, we probably would been in a better situation to win that game."
Kingsbury went back to his roots to open the second half, using four wide receivers and pushing the tempo without a huddle.
"We felt like, with the way things were going, we needed to create a spark somehow," Kingsbury said. "We probably could have gotten to it sooner, looking back."
The Cardinals cut the deficit to three points twice in the second half, but the Rams responded with touchdowns each time. Any chance of a late rally was stopped when Murray lost a fumble and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Troy Hill on back-to-back drives.
"I thought he continued to play hard and compete when things were going bad," Kingsbury said. "He came back in the second half and continued to give us a chance. Kept us in it. Obviously it got out of control there late."
Kenyan Drake finished with 10 carries for 49 yards, but 27 came on a long run after the outcome was already decided. Chase Edmonds had six carries for 28 yards, and while the team yards per carry of 4.4 was respectable, the rushing attack was again far from the dominant group it was earlier this season.
As it currently stands, the Cardinals' passing game is struggling to move the ball efficiently, and Murray's legs are no longer able to cover up those issues.
"We've just got to put all the pieces together as a unit and get it done," left tackle D.J. Humphries said. "I don't think it's really a science to it or anything like that. It's us locking in and getting our job done."
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