Cardinals kept their season alive with a primetime win
The Arizona Cardinals put on a show this past Thursday in their 42-34 primetime win over the New Orleans Saints.
The Cardinals looked like a completely different team than in recent weeks. There are many things to highlight during this game but now that the team has time to get healthy during their mini-bye week, they can focus on building off of this dominant win.
Here are 3 things the Cards proved in their much-needed win versus the Saints:
The Defense is dominant
The Cardinals defense was a massive concern for many fans coming into the season and most felt they did not have the personnel to succeed. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has proven many fans wrong.
In the Cards win over the Saints, the defense had 4 tackles for a loss, intercepted Andy Dalton 3 times, and returned 2 of them for touchdowns. The defense may have allowed 34 points but most of those points came when the Cards had the game well in hand.
But their dominance did not just start this week. The Cards defense has been playing exceptionally well through their past six matchups. Specifically, the play of cornerback Marco Wilson and linebacker Zaven Collins have improved week-to-week and they have looked phenomenal in their play.
If the defense can keep making adjustments week-to-week and maintain their same level of play, this Cardinals team has a good chance of turning things around this season.
Welcome back DeAndre Hopkins!
Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins made his 2022 season debut on Thursday after he finished serving a controversial six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. Although he had a lengthy suspension, he did not seem to need much time in making his presence felt.
Hopkins recorded 10 catches for 103 yards during the game. The star receiver ran crisp routes and found ways to get open which resulted in lots of yards after the catch.
The Saints defense struggled in containing Hopkins and their defense was called numerous time for holding penalties.
Hopkins’ presence on the field seemed to give life to the Cardinals offense as they looked alive and in control for the first time all season. The Cardinals offense scored 25 points in the second quarter of the game, which is the most they have scored in a quarter all season and all those drives were led by the star receiver himself.
If Hopkins’ production keeps increasing and he keeps making plays for the Cardinals, the sky is the limit for this offense and they could become lethal by the end of the season if everyone is fully healthy.
The Running back room is DEEP
The Cardinals got to witness running back Eno Benjamin in a full workhorse role and he delivered. Benjamin recorded 12 carries for 92 yards and 1 touchdown. Benjamin averaged a ridiculous 7.7 yards per carry as he looked full of burst all game.
Speaking of burst, rookie running back Keontay Ingram looked electrifying as well. Not only did Ingram record 9 carries for 14 yards and his first rushing NFL touchdown but also caught 2 passes for 23 yards. Ingram looked fast when he caught balls out of the backfield ripping one of his catches for 24 yards.
The Cardinals offense didn’t look like they missed starting running back James Conner one bit as the running backs looked fully alive in Arizona’s Thursday night win. It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals do with their very deep running back room now that Benjamin and Ingram have flashed their big play potential. Maybe a trade is on the horizon as the trade deadline looms. Who knows.
Overall:
The Cardinals proved a lot in their much-needed win against the Saints but every week that passes they will have to prove more and more about why they deserve to be playoff contenders. The Cards have looked shaky this season, but hopefully, this win has lit a fire amongst the team and they ride this momentum for weeks to come.
