Week Two Reaction: Arizona Cardinals vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There are many ways to get over a tough loss but none are better than putting up 40 points and holding a young offense to seven. Atonement may be a strong word but Arizona Cardinals’ head coach, Bruce Arians, most assuredly liked this week’s result much more than their week one debacle.
The Cardinals scored 24 points in the second quarter with Carson Palmer spreading the ball around to their talented receiving corps. Palmer finished with 308 yard passing and added three touchdowns to three different receivers.
Running back, David Johnson, proved why Arians wants to keep him fresh as he amassed 143 yards from scrimmage. Chris Johnson added a rushing touchdown to his 54 yards rushing in a matchup that appeared much closer on paper than on the field.
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What the Cardinals did well:
Defensive intensity; flying all over the place, the defense forced five turnovers and made Jameis Winston look pedestrian, especially when compared with his week one performance.
Spreading the ball around; Palmer hit three different receivers for touchdowns and Chris Johnson added another on the ground.
Favorite play:
Tampa Bay was thinking the Cardinals were going to settle for a field goal right before half but instead Palmer hits Jaron Brown in stride for six. If a second quarter touchdown could ever be a dagger to a team, that was it. Even the radio broadcast painted enough of a picture to see the wind going out of the Buccaneers’ sails after that touchdown.
Players of the game:
Marcus Cooper
Larry Fitzgerald
Carson Palmer
What the Cardinals did poorly:
Masked by the offensive onslaught, was the slow start by Palmer and the rest of the offense. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Palmer was the least accurate quarterback in all of week two. Throwing three touchdowns tends to mask even PFF’s numbers.
Worst play:
Patrick Peterson gives up a 19 yard touchdown to Mike Evans on the Buccaneers’ first possession of the second half. Peterson looked to have the inside covered but Winston placed the ball perfectly for the score. Giving up the easy score could have been the beginning of a comeback but the Cardinals’ defense rallied back to hold the Bucs scoreless the rest of the way.
Who needs to step it up next week?
As tough as it is to tell someone they need to step up after a 40-7 dismantling of an opponent, Brandon Williams was replaced by Marcus Cooper as Arians went with the hot hand approach. If and when Williams sees the field again, he will have to step up his game in order for Arians to trust him again.
As fantasy owners will most assuredly attest, John Brown has been nonexistent. So far this season he has a total of two catches for 22 yards. More consistent play will be needed when they travel to Buffalo to face Rex and Rob Ryan’s tough as nails defense.
Quick thoughts/fallout:
Although Michael Floyd caught a touchdown pass, he and John Brown were held to just 22 yards receiving. Palmer and the Cardinals were still able to put up 40 points with very little production from two of their better pass-catchers. However, targets don’t always come easy when sharing the field with Larry Fitzgerald.
The defense still showed some vulnerability in the victory by allowing Winston to complete 27 passes, one of which was the touchdown against Peterson. If the Cardinals come out with the defensive intensity and take the ball away much like they did this week, they will be a tough team to beat week in and week out.
Wrap it up
Arians took rookie Brandon Williams out and replaced him with Marcus Cooper in the second quarter. Cooper then rewarded his coach and team with three passes defended, two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. The move revitalized a defense that just could not get off the field on third down against the New England Patriots a week ago.
Strong safety, Tony Jefferson, is another player that looks like he belongs in the NFL. Jefferson is seemingly the perfect fit across from Tyrann Mathieu as Arians wants the ball hawking safety to play center field more often. Jefferson stuffed the run admirably this week and will look to continue that trend in next week’s matchup versus the Bills.
The Cardinals could not afford to lose their first two home games of this young season and they did not disappoint. If Arians’ club wants to be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time at the end of the season, more of these well rounded victories will be essential.
Next up: The Cardinals travel to Buffalo to face the reeling 0-2 Bills this Sunday at noon on FOX.
Justin Ekstrom can be followed on Twitter @cribby21 and is grateful for this opportunity to cover the Cardinals. Be sure to follow the cover32’s coverage of this fine RED SEAson on facebook and Twitter.
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