GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals were in serious need of a franchise reset when coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort were hired two seasons ago.
There was an understanding it might take some time to turn things around.
But 21 games into their tenure, patience is getting a little thin.
The Cardinals (1-3) suffered a crushing 42-14 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday — perhaps the most discouraging of the new regime's tenure. Arizona took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive after a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray and rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., but were outplayed in virtually every facet from that point forward.
“Just trying to process what just happened," Murray said on Sunday.
The loss was made even worse by the fact that the Commanders' offense was led by Kliff Kingsbury, the former Cardinals head coach for four seasons who was fired in 2022. That's what started this whole rebuild in the first place.
Now the Commanders and their offense are the talk of the NFL.
The Cardinals are the same ol' Cardinals. They're 5-16 since Gannon and Ossenfort took over.
“This league’s very humbling and we got humbled today, so we’ll get back to it,” Gannon said. “The positive will be what we get out of this tape tomorrow, the adjustments that we make, the corrections that we make and we’ll get better from it.”
Murray has — usually — taken the recent losing in stride since his return from a knee injury midway through last season. But the quarterback was understandably frustrated after Sunday's game. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, but was also sacked four times and didn't have the usual magic with his scrambling ability.
“Something’s got to change,” Murray said. “We weren’t good enough today and they exploited our weaknesses.”
What’s working
James Conner bounced back from his worst game of the season, rushing for 104 yards against the Commanders. The veteran provided his usual, bruising presence throughout the game.
What needs help
The Cardinals' pass rush was basically nonexistent, finishing the day with no sacks and one quarterback hurry. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was good at throwing the ball quickly, but Arizona has to find a way to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable.
Stock up
Cornerback Garrett Williams had a spectacular interception in the first half, leaping to grab a pass from Daniels before tumbling to the grass while managing to hold onto the football. The Cardinals have lacked big-time playmakers on the defense, particularly at corner, for the past few seasons. Williams — now in his second season — appears to be getting better.
Stock down
Gannon and the coaching staff. The second-year coach has brought a youthful, yet no-nonsense, demeanor to the franchise that's been mostly well received. But the vibes are wearing out in a hurry. The Cardinals players — particularly Murray — are going to want to start winning some games soon.
“We’ve got to adapt a little bit and that starts with me,” Gannon said. “We can’t look like that, because we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the game, so we’ll get back at it.”
Injuries
One silver lining for the Cardinals is they came out of Sunday's game fairly healthy. Rookie DL Darius Robinson (calf) is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, but it's unclear if he'll be ready. TE Trey McBride missed Sunday's game with a concussion but Gannon was optimistic that he might return.
Key number
4-8 — That's the record for the Cardinals since Murray returned midway through last season. He was out roughly 11 months because of a torn ACL suffered in 2022.
Next steps
The Cardinals go back on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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