Josh Dobbs, Cardinals sputtering offense to bale for loss to Ravens

It might be easy to get swept up in the two controversial second-quarter moments involving the officiating crew and the review process during Sunday’s game at State Farm Stadium. The two situations, both of which went against the Cardinals, weren’t the ultimate factor in Arizona’s 31-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

What was mostly to blame for the Cardinals’ fifth consecutive loss were the same things that have been hurting them all season – turnovers, a sputtering offense, and an overall failure to finish.

Don’t get it twisted: The two controversial plays in question were big. But they didn’t cost the Cardinals this game.

Quarterback Josh Dobbs and an inconsistent offense did, which in turn now has everyone screaming for Kyler Murray to be activated from the Reserve/Designated to Return list and start the rest of the season.

The switch to Murray can’t happen soon enough and even though he’d be facing a scary Browns’ defense in Cleveland should the Cardinals make it official in time for next Sunday’s game, Murray would absolutely give Arizona a better chance than Dobbs, who has been up but mostly down as K1’s stand-in.

Making his eighth straight start, Dobbs had a golden opportunity to move his team into position take a 14-7 lead on the Ravens late in the first half. The Cardinals’ defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs by Lamar Jackson and Baltimore’s loaded offense.

But during Arizona’s final possession of the half, Dobbs’ issue with accuracy rose up to sting him again. On second-and-three from his own 30-yard line, Dobbs overthrew rookie receiver Michael Wilson by a ton and the pass was easily intercepted by Brandon Stephens.

There were two minutes remaining in the second quarter and the Ravens made the Cardinals pay for the mistake by quickly going 43 yards on six plays, capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Gus Edwards that flipped the tone of the game.

The negativity returned after the Cardinals’ defense forced another three-and-out to open the second half. Five plays into Arizona’s possession, however, Dobbs got pressured up the middle by Michael Pierce and before Dobbs could get rid of the football, he fumbled it during a 15-yard loss. The Cardinals recovered but were forced to punt.

Dobbs was intercepted a second time on the Cardinals’ next possession, as Ravens safety Geno Stone easily jumped the route on a throw to tight end Trey McBride. Stone leapt in front of McBride and hauled in the pick, which of course, led to another Baltimore touchdown.

Edwards did the honors with a 7-yard run, giving Baltimore a 21-7 lead with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. Technically, it wasn’t over yet. But you knew it really was if you were there or watching it someplace else.

The Cardinals’ defense held its own for most of the afternoon and it forced the Ravens to settle for a 48-yard field goal by Justin Tucker midway through the fourth that made it 24-7. With a little more than 9 minutes to play, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon could have tried benching Dobbs and going with rookie quarterback Clayton Tune, who showed some promise during training camp and the preseason.

It didn’t happen. Gannon stuck with Dobbs and some life crept back into view. He drove them down to the Ravens’ 12-yard line before taking a sack and on third and 15 from the 17, Dobbs connected with McBride. He was met by a handful of Baltimore defenders but instead of going down, McBride got help from a bunch of teammates, who helped push him into the end zone for a score.

After being aided by center Hajalte Froholdt, running back Keaontay Ingram, Rondale Mooore and Dennis Daley, McBride celebrated by hurling the football up in the air as far as he could. Dobbs ran the ball in for a successful two-point conversion but at 24-15, it still didn’t look promising with 6:37 left to play.

Rewind: Cardinals' promising start leads to more disappointment with loss to Ravens

And it wasn’t, as Jackson led the Ravens on a 75-yard drive capped by Edwards' third TD of the game, another 1-yard plunge into the end zone. Dobbs and the Cardinals answered back with a 75-yard drive of their own with Dobbs tossing a 1-yard touchdown to Hollywood Brown, but the two-point conversion failed.

The Cardinals recovered an onsides kick and got a 47-yard field goal by Matt Prater to pull to 31-24 with 26 seconds remaining, but that would be it. The Cardinals scored 17 points in the second half, but they’ve been outscored 74-23 overall during that string of five straight losses, an alarming trend that might only stop once Murray returns to the offense.

Oh, and as for those two controversial moments in the second quarter? The first one involved what looked to be a strip sack by Zaven Collins on Jackson and a fumble recovery by Budda Baker. Upon review, it was ruled an incomplete pass and the Ravens retained possession. It didn’t hurt the Cardinals, though, as Tucker banged a 53-yard field goal attempt off the left upright.

On the second, the Cardinals thought they converted on fourth-and-1 on Emari Demercado’s rushing effort. However, before the chains could be brought out and the spot could be measured, umpire Tony Michalek inexplicably moved the football a half-yard back from where it had been marked.

Again, not good, but the Cardinals forced a three-and-out on Baltimore’s ensuing possession.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Blame for Arizona Cardinals loss falls on offense, not officials