The Cardinals offense faces questions after the loss to Commanders

Jonathan Gannon could barely bring himself to move. He only flinched to fold and uncross his arms. His feet remained on the turf near the 40-yard line, his gaze focused straight ahead. With each play, his face darkened a little closer to the challenge flag in his right pocket.

That was Gannon's point of view as he watched the Cardinals open the second half with consecutive holding penalties, a drop and a sack. They began the journey 24/7 behind, their hopes hanging by a thread. They ended it with the day descending into complete disaster and the point of return drowned in a 42-14 nightmare.

“At this point, everyone is frustrated,” Gannon said.

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There was a frustration that permeated the locker room after the game, and not just because of the score. This was an inexplicable performance for the Cardinals.

Think about the last two defeats. In Week 1, they lost because of their defense. That was the expectation this season, considering how general manager Monti Ossenfort has deployed his resources. The offense struggled in Week 3, but that was understandable against a strong Lions defense.

The recovery should come this week. The Commanders' offense had impressed early in the season behind Jayden Daniels, but their defense continued to lack talent and results. Through three weeks, they had allowed 256 passing yards per game (second-worst), 7.7 yards per pass attempt (second-worst) and 5.1 yards per carry (third-worst). In terms of total points, only the Panthers and Rams were less determined.

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The Cardinals' plan was to go for the run, force Washington's defense to respect their ground game, and then find holes in a zone-heavy defense. They got the first part, with James Conner averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The second part never arrived. Murray finished the game with 142 passing yards, his fewest in a complete game since December 5, 2021.

When the passing attack struggled against Buffalo, the Cardinals pointed out how the Bills were playing Marvin Harrison Jr. by cornering him with defensive backs and changing the game plan. On Sunday they only looked inward.

“Player execution,” Harrison said. “That’s what matters. Eleven against 11, as a player you have to win the one-on-one.”

For all the trouble on offense, Murray was rarely the clear-cut culprit. He finished above his expected completion percentage for the third straight week, according to Next Gen Stats. And despite being sacked four times, he performed well under pressure, completing three of four passes for 39 yards. He didn't turn the ball over and only has one interception in four games.

All of this is the good thing. It's also not the complete picture, nor does it eliminate the lack of explosiveness against an exploitable defense – a panic that includes Murray but spreads to the offensive line, the wide receivers and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

The Cardinals didn't manage a play of more than 22 yards, but their offensive turmoil is best summed up by a play where they only needed one. Facing a four-on-one late in the first half, the Commanders 35 almost failed to make a playoff as several receivers appeared confused about the decision coming out of the huddle.

When it finally came, the play was designed to beat man coverage, with two receivers running a switch approach on the right side and Elijah Higgins running a stick route on the left side. The only problem: Washington covered man coverage but fell into the zone.

In the pocket, Murray looked at an open Michael Wilson but didn't pull the trigger. He then worked his way to a covered Higgins, hesitated again and was beaten into a game-winning sack.

“We were a little confused and just in a hurry,” Murray said. “It’s just a poor performance on our part and we need to do better.”

During the Cardinals' autopsy, the word “execution” appeared repeatedly. Also evidence of a lack of rhythm. The Cardinals consistently failed to extend drives on third down, even in short-yard situations.

Garbage time aside, they had four plays where they needed to gain a yard to keep a drive alive – two third downs and two fourth downs. Despite the success of his offense on the ground, Petzing called for passing plays on three of them. The first attempt was successful when Murray found Harrison in the back corner of the end zone. The other two failed. Meanwhile, the one time they ran the ball, Conner picked up an easy first down.

When Gannon was later asked about these decisions, he became outraged. He described it as the “best piece” without offering any further explanation.

It was a similar reaction to last week, when the Cardinals used Emari Demercado up the middle for a third-and-2 run in place of Conner, who is four inches taller and 20 pounds heavier. Gannon's answer to the question about the personnel decision: “Third-down back.”

A week later, Conner — a regular on third downs — saw both of Arizona's third downs in the first half when the game was still tightly contested.

Given the Cardinals' offensive funk, these are the little moments they need to win, even if Gannon holds back when addressing them. Because on Sunday the answers – on the field and on the podium – were not enough.

And the reality now looks like this: In the last two weeks, Gannon's team has only scored 27 points. That's the fewest in a two-game stretch with a healthy Murray since his rookie season.

“This league is very humbling,” Gannon said. “And we humbled ourselves today.”

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