After winning four straight, five of their last six, and improving to 6-4, many of us probably had concerns about the Arizona Cardinals entered their bye week following Sunday’s convincing 31-6 loss to the New York Jets.
Considering their quality of play, which has been incredibly red-hot, this seemed like the worst time for the break to finally roll around, right?
Pausing the season after everything we’ve seen recently from this surging and surprising football team seemed like the perfect mistake. Not now! Not when they have momentum that we haven’t seen since the start of the 2021 season! What if a week off ruins the mojo? What if the breakup suddenly made them complacent?
I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you, but that didn’t stop me from asking two of the Cardinals’ two most important executives about it.
What would quarterback Kyler Murray and safety Budda Baker say if they addressed the team about how it should approach this pivotal point in the schedule?
Their answers should help ease any concerns we have.
“I would say we can’t let that sink in,” Murray said after completing 91.7 percent of his passes (22 of 24 for 266 yards) against the Jets and finishing the game with a franchise-record 17 passes. consecutive before giving way to backup Clayton Tune. “We have to stay healthy. I would say to keep the game in mind. I know the week off can feel like a getaway, but I wouldn’t stray too far from it. I know I’m not, mentally.
“You just have to stay locked in. I know we don’t have a game this week, but football will be on my mind.”
I didn’t ask Murray if he planned to stay in the Valley and resist a quick vacation to Cabo or any other popular resort where young kids go these days, but I did ask him s he would advise his teammates to stay in town. and focus on the serious momentum they’ve created.
“If you’re going to make it,” he said, “you have to be smart, put the team first and understand that we do this for a living. I know the guys, I know my mindset and whatever I do, I put the team first.
Here’s what Baker told me his message would be to the rest of the Cardinals as they enter the bye week: “We get it. We are professionals. So these guys understand to stay safe and stay out of trouble. We have some young people on the team, and they understand: they have their heads on their shoulders.
“So no, take a break from football if you want a break, but most importantly, rest, recover and be ready for next week. That’s the goal and we continue through the process throughout the work weeks and have fun on Sundays.
Card fans are probably hoping that players didn’t have too much fun last week, wherever they went or whatever they did.
Looking ahead to the final seven-game stretch once everyone is back, coach Jonathan Gannon tells us he’s “very confident” it will finally include the defensive lineman’s long-awaited NFL debut and first-round pick Darius Robinson following a nagging calf strain. question, here are five things the Cardinals must be able to rely on if they want to reach the playoffs:
Get Marvin Harrison Jr. even more involved in the offense
Among the top 10 receivers drafted this year, including seven in the first round, Harrison ranked first in touchdown receptions (six), third in receiving yards (499) and fourth in total catches (33) and of the first tests carried out (24). entering week 11.
That’s good, but it can get better as he and Murray get their signals clear and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing helps design more and more opportunities for the No. 4 overall pick, who has clearly more to show.
“I’m just going to try to do my best and help the team, that’s all I can do,” Harrison said.
Maintain an improving pass rush and stable secondary
One of the reasons Arizona hasn’t allowed an offensive touchdown in any of its last three games at State Farm Stadium is that its supposedly undermanned defense has averaged four sacks against the Chargers, Bears and Jets, and their inexperienced cornerbacks stepped up and delivered some. stopping performance.
Sophomore corners Garrett Williams and Starling Thomas V are on a roll, as are rookie Max Melton and freshman safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson at times. This must continue, and with veteran safety and leader Budda Baker perhaps playing at his best, there is plenty of hope around the back end of this defense.
“He’s one of our elite players, man,” Gannon said of Baker. “I know everyone sees what he does on Sunday. I see what the guy does Monday through Saturday and like I said, you can’t put a price on that. He’s just a complete captain. He’s a warrior – and everything that means.
Let Kyler cook
I never liked that phrase, probably because it was so often linked to quarterback Russell Wilson. But in this case, it works for Murray.
He finally seems to have everything together, and part of that is because he’s playing more freely. He lets his natural talents shine, whether he’s throwing a pass in a tight window or trusting his instincts about when to get out of the pocket and use his top speed.
The worst thing the Cardinals coaching staff could do now would be try to overpower him and make him robotic.
“He doesn’t have to do everything,” Gannon said, adding, “When he has the ball in his hands, as a defender, every time he gets a snap, you hold on to your you-know -What.”
Stay aggressive with operations
Whether it’s Gannon deciding which players he can rely on to replace injured starters, Petzing putting together great plays on offense, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis not being afraid to bring in blitz packages unspotted, or special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers pushing all the right buttons, the Cardinals can’t help but bring the unexpected.
They must continue to press the issue, stay creative and trust their instincts – and continue to turn up the heat on all fronts. This includes games in which they might fall behind early, or when they lose the turnover battle or suffer dysfunction late in a first half or early in the third quarter.
Finish what you started
The return to relevance is only half done. If the Cardinals want to complete this quest, they must continue to dig deep, trust the process Gannon laid out, do their best to execute on game day and never waste time looking ahead.
This team may be a year ahead of their rebuild, but they can’t stop now. If the Cardinals want to change the narrative, they will have to move forward and continue to play physical, smart, resilient and defiant football.
It almost seems wrong to suddenly put the brakes on their recent surge and take some time to rest and relax. That’s how left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. described the situation after the Jets shut down last week, and tight end Trey McBride sort of agreed.
“I would almost double it,” he told reporters at the start of the bye week. “When you’re in a rhythm, playing good football as a team, you don’t want to stop. We’ve won three or four in a row and it’s fun. You just want this thing to continue and you don’t want to take this break.
“But at the same time, we’re a little banged up. We’ve played 10 games now and just having four or five days off to just relax, recharge, get our body back under us, I’m excited for that as well because I feel like we’re there. Coming back healthier, we can be a very tough team to beat.
They already are.
Contact McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch on Fox Sports 910-AM.
This article was originally published on Arizona Republic: Here’s how the Cardinals should respond to returning from the bye week
