Cardinals offense faces major questions after Commanders nightmare

Jonathan Gannon could hardly bring himself to move. He flinched only to cross and uncross his arms. His feet remained planted on the turf beside the 40-yard line, his stare dead forward. With each play, his face darkened a shade closer to the challenge flag in his right pocket.

This was Gannon’s vantage point as he watched the Cardinals open the second half with consecutive holding penalties, a drop, and a sack. They began the drive with their hopes hanging by a thread, down 24-7. They ended it with the day fully descending into disaster, the point of return vanished in a 42-14 nightmare.

“Everyone,” Gannon said, “is frustrated at that point.”

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It was a frustration that permeated the locker room postgame, and not just because of the scoreline. For the Cardinals, this was an inexplicable performance.

Consider their previous two defeats. In Week 1, they lost because of their defense. That was the expectation this season, given how general manager Monti Ossenfort has allocated his resources. In Week 3, the offense struggled, but it was understandable against a strong Lions defense.

This week was supposed to be the bounce back. The Commanders ' offense had impressed early in the season behind Jayden Daniels, but their defense remained devoid of both 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). By total points, only the Panthers and Rams had been less resolute.

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The Cardinals’ plan was to lean on 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 with 142 passing yards, his fewest in a full game since Dec. 5, 2021.

When the passing attack struggled against Buffalo, the Cardinals pointed to how the Bills played Marvin Harrison Jr., bracketing him with defensive backs and altering the game plan. On Sunday, they only looked inward.

“Player execution,” Harrison said. “That's what it comes down to. Eleven-on-11, you've gotta win your one-on-one as a player.”

For all of the offense’s struggles, Murray was seldom the clear culprit. He finished above his expected completion percentage for the third consecutive week, per Next Gen Stats. And though he was sacked four times, he fared well under pressure, completing three of four passes for 39 yards. He did not turn the ball over and now has just one interception in four games.

All of that is the good. It is also not the full picture, nor does it wash away the lack of explosiveness against an exploitable defense — a funk that includes Murray but spreads to the offensive line, to the wide receivers, and to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

The Cardinals didn’t manage a play over 22 yards, but their offensive dysfunction can be best summed up by a play on which they needed just one. Facing fourth-and-1 from the Commanders 35 late in the first half, they nearly failed to get a play off, with multiple receivers seemingly confused about the call coming out of the huddle.

When it did eventually happen, the play was designed to beat man coverage, with two receivers executing a switch concept on the right side and Elijah Higgins running a stick route on the left side. The only problem: Washington disguised man coverage but dropped into zone.

In the pocket, Murray looked at an open Michael Wilson but didn’t pull the trigger. He then worked to a covered Higgins, hesitated again, and was hammered for a game-changing sack.

“We were a little discombobulated so just rushing,” Murray said. “It's just bad execution on our part and we've gotta be better.”

During the Cardinals’ post-mortem, that word — execution — surfaced repeatedly. So too did references to a lack of rhythm. The Cardinals consistently failed to extend drives on third down, even in short-yardage situations.

Excluding garbage time, they had four plays on which they needed to gain one yard to keep a drive alive — two third downs and two fourth downs. Despite his offense’s success on the ground, Petzing called for passing plays on three of them. The first attempt succeeded, as 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.

Afterward, Gannon bristled when asked about those decisions. He described them as the “best play,” without offering further explanation.

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

A week later, Conner — who regularly features on third downs — saw both of Arizona’s third-down carries in the first half, while the game was still competitive.

Given the Cardinals’ offensive funk, those are the small moments they need to win, even if Gannon is reticent when addressing them. Because on Sunday, the answers — on the field and at the podium — were insufficient.

And the reality is now this: Over the past two weeks, Gannon’s team has scored just 27 points. That’s their fewest in a two-game span with a healthy Murray since his rookie season.

“This league's very humbling,” Gannon said. “And we got humbled today.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals offense faces major questions after Commanders nightmare