Arizona Cardinals loss to Bengals on Sunday looks even worse on Monday

The Arizona Cardinals had a golden opportunity Sunday against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. Trailing 24-20 near the end of the third quarter, they had a chance to flip the game by going for it on fourth-and-1 from the Cincinnati 16-yard line.

The golden opportunity, however, turned into Fool’s Gold.

If only they had a healthy James Conner in the backfield. Instead, with their workhorse running back watching from the sideline since the second quarter because of a twisted knee, the Cardinals called for a quarterback keeper. You probably know how that went.

Josh Dobbs began moving to his right and Bengals defenders quickly swarmed all over him before swallowing him up for a 1-yard loss and a turnover on downs. What could have been and probably should have been never had a chance to develop.

That didn’t tell the whole story behind the Cardinals’ 34-20 loss at State Farm Stadium, but it told enough and now suddenly, the team must face the possibility of being without the brick-and-mortar of its offensive attack in Conner.

“Obviously, James is a great runner and a great part of our offense,” Dobbs said after Arizona dropped to 1-4. “But I thought (rookie backup) Emari (Demercado) stepped in and did a tremendous job, man. They scored to start the third quarter and we got the ball in space, had guys making plays, and then you hand the ball off to Emari on three plays and he puts the ball in the end zone.

“So, he stepped up well. … That was huge to see him come in and step him and obviously get his first touchdown, which I know was a good feeling for him.”

Coach Jonathan Gannon said it was too early to know the extent of Conner’s knee injury. It occurred at the end of a nice, 35-yard run in which he appeared to get his cleat stuck in the ground and then flipped end over end.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” Gannon said.

Demercado, an undrafted free agent out of TCU, finished with 10 carries for 45 yards and his touchdown, which came on an 11-yard run.

“I think I can build off that (performance). I feel comfortable out there playing. Obviously, I wish we came out with the win, but there’s still a long season to go so we’ve just got to keep stacking days,” Demercado said, adding when asked if he’s ready to carry a bigger load, if needed, “Yeah, absolutely. I’ve just go into this week preparing like I always do. If they call my number, I’ll be ready and if not, I’ll play my role as best I can.”

Arizona’s defense made some impressive stops against a Bengals’ offense led by Joe Burrow 317 passing yards, three touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (15 receptions for 192 yards and three TDs), but the offense couldn’t execute when it mattered most.

The Cardinals also had three turnovers, all by Dobbs, who was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt returned one of the interceptions 11 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half for a 17-14 lead.

“Turnovers are tough,” Dobbs said. “We take pride in taking care of the football and both of those (picks) are on me. … I’ve got to be extremely smart and take care of the football, no matter what the circumstance is.

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What went right

The defense made some critical stops: Arizona held Cincinnati to a field goal at the end of the first quarter and then helped defuse three straight possessions by the Bengals by getting pressure on Burrow and coming up with a huge goal line stand that resulted in a turnover on downs. After pulling to within 24-20 midway through the third quarter, safety Ka’Von Wallace ended another Cincinnati drive with an interception. The Cardinals, though, were stopped on fourth down.

The Cardinals were able to run the ball: Despite losing Conner early, the team finished with 142 rushing yards — hitting their average, which ranked sixth overall entering the game. Receiver Rondale Moore led them with 50 yards, including a long of 41. Conner finished with 46 on six carries. Dobbs ran only three times for 1 yard and wasn’t able to utilize his quickness as in previous games.

The offense collected two quick scores: After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Dobbs led the Cardinals on back-to-back touchdown drives. The first one, which covered 75 yards on nine plays, was capped by a perfectly thrown 25-yard pass to Hollywood Brown. The second which included Conner’s big 35-yard run, ended with a 4-yard TD pass to tight end Zach Ertz, whose first score of the season gave Arizona a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

What went wrong

Arizona lost three turnovers: Dobbs hadn’t had a turnover since losing two fumbles in the season opener. Against the Bengals, he was intercepted twice, had one returned for a touchdown, and also lost another fumble.

“What, we lost the turnover battle 3-1? It’s just a hard way to go,” Gannon said. “We’ve got to do a better job execution-wise, that’s all 11 (players) and we’ve got to get that cleaned up because if you’re losing the takeaway battle, our guys know that’s a winning stat and you’re not going to win a lot of games.”

Fourth-quarter woes continued: The Cardinals were outscored 10-0 in the fourth quarter on Sunday and through five games, they’ve now been outscored 54-7. That’s something they’ve got to turn around in a hurry if they hope to remain competitive.

“We’re anxious to do that,” Dobbs said. “Games in the NFL come down to fourth-quarter execution. Obviously, first, second and third-quarter execution is important, but fourth-quarter execution is critical. … It’s frustrating, especially as the quarterback of the offense, not to do that.”

Ja’Marr Chase torched the secondary: The Bengals’ star wide receiver got off to a slow start this season, primarily because Burrow had been limited with what he could do because of a strained calf. But they both exploded against Arizona, connecting on three touchdowns and with Chase setting a new career high with his 15 receptions.

“You can’t let their best player beat you and that’s what we just did,” Gannon said.

What to watch this week

Keep your eyes open for safety Budda Baker’s return to the starting lineup. He missed his fourth game on injured reserve with a hamstring issue but is now eligible to return to practice and be activated off IR. Baker, the five-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, sent a message out to Cardinals fans before Sunday’s game via X that read: “Not too much longer in these street clothes, I’m almost there!!”

Defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter (finger) might also be able to return, although his status probably won’t be known until later in the week.

The grades

Offense (C-): They accounted for three touchdowns and were able to move the ball, but the three turnovers were killers. The passing game looked good at times; it just wasn’t consistent enough as Dobbs completed 15 of 32 passes for just 166 yards. The Cardinals really needed it to be better after pulling to within 24-20.

Defense (C-): There were some very impressive stops and a big takeaway, but it wasn’t enough. Arizona let Cincinnati get off to an early lead and couldn’t cover Chase, who burned a handful of defenders from start to finish. They did hold the Bengals to under 100 yards rushing, but the passing game was the difference this week.

Special teams (C-): Matt Prater missed an extra point on his third attempt, misfiring wide left. That was a pretty big miss at the time, but the real problem was Dobbs and the Cardinals not being able to convert on fourth and 1 in the red zone toward the end of the third quarter. Arizona was 0 for 3 on fourth downs Sunday.

Personnel notes

Conner suffered a knee injury at the end of his 35-yard run during the second quarter and was listed as questionable to return, but he never did. His status should become clearer by Wednesday.

Safety Jalen Thomson suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter, and he also never returned. There was no immediate word on his condition or availability moving forward.

Cornerback Antonio Hamilton suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter but returned in the second quarter and made a couple of huge stops as the Bengals were driving from inside the 10-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

Later in the third quarter, however, he was involved in some heavy contact and had to leave the game and be evaluated for a concussion.

He said it

“We’ll never know. I don’t live in the past. That’s a good question. They made a good play. I liked the call; they made a good play and stopped us.” — Gannon when asked if a healthy Conner might have converted on fourth and 1 had he been healthy and in the game and how that may have altered the outcome.

Up next

The Cardinals hit the road for a third time when they meet the NFC West rival Rams at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is Sunday at 1:25 p.m. The Rams (2-3) lost to the Eagles 23-14 this week. The Rams lead the all-time series 48-40-2. The teams split the series last season.

Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. with Roc and Manuch on Fox Sports 910-AM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Turnovers, injuries mounting for beleaguered Arizona Cardinals