The Arizona Cardinals dropped a disheartening 36-24 game to the New York Giants on Sunday, and while there were some flashes of good on defense and special teams, the ugly truth of giving up big plays truly defined this defeat. The most glaring stat from the loss? Giants quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 250 yards on just 18 completions, but an unbelievable 166 of those yards, that’s 66.4 percent of his total, came on just five plays. Yeah, you read that right. Five. Plays. This kind of breakdown simply cannot happen if this team wants to win.
Coach LaFleur’s Nightmare: Explosive Plays Torched ‘Em
Head Coach Mike LaFleur said it himself: “We want to limit explosives.” He’s got to be fuming. They had the Giants in third down-and-longs, situations that should’ve been an advantage for the defense. Yet, Winston extended plays and found guys downfield. LaFleur admitted he needs to hit the tape, see where those zone coverage breakdowns happened, and “get it fixed and fixed fast.” That’s an understatement. Giving up monster chunks like that on a few plays is a recipe for disaster every single time.
Adding insult to injury, the defense also took a hit with safety Andrew Wingard leaving the game in the first quarter with a knee injury after just one solo tackle. This guy had already racked up 22 tackles (nine solo, three for loss), an interception, and a forced fumble in the first three games. With Dadrion Taylor-Demerson still out with a back injury, rookie undrafted free agent Wydett Williams Jr. had to step up and play more than usual. That’s a tough spot to be in when you’re already struggling with explosive plays.
Not All Bad: Defense Did Show Up on the Run and With Takeaways
Okay, it wasn’t all bad, alright? The run defense actually looked solid. The Cardinals knew they had to limit Cam Skattebo, and mission accomplished there. Skattebo rushed for only 58 yards on 18 carries, averaging a measly 3.2 yards. Najee Harris added 30 yards on nine attempts (3.3 average), and Tyrone Tracy even had a carry for minus-1 yard. Overall, the Giants’ ground game was held to a paltry 87 yards on 28 attempts for a 3.1 average, with the longest runs being nine yards for Harris and eight for Skattebo. The D also stacked up seven tackles for loss, with Walter Nolen III leading the charge with two.
And then there were the takeaways, which, let’s be real, are often part of the “Jameis Winston Experience.” Safety Budda Baker snagged an interception on a poor pass in the third quarter, and the team actually capitalized, scoring a touchdown on the very next possession to take a 24-19 lead. Cornerback Denzel Burke also made a fantastic read late in the second quarter, picking off rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields at the Cardinals’ 25-yard line. That led to a huge 60-yard Chad Ryland field goal right at the end of the first half, which was his only attempt of the game. Mack Wilson Sr. even forced a fumble from Harris, recovered by Zaven Collins, at the Cardinals’ 41-yard line.
But Man, Those Back-Breaking Bombs and Missed Chances…
Here’s where the “ugly” really gets ugly, though. Despite those takeaways, the team failed to capitalize on Wilson and Collins’ fumble recovery, going three-and-out in a critical fourth-quarter stretch. And those explosive plays? Just brutal. Perhaps the worst was a 40-yard pass play to a WIDE-OPEN Malachi Fields in the third quarter. This was on third-and-20 from the Giants’ 42-yard line! How does that even happen?
Then there was the sequence where Malik Nabers started a possession with a 28-yard catch, then scored a 25-yard touchdown that gave the Giants their first lead of the game in the second quarter. Nabers was a problem all day, hauling in six of seven targets for 112 yards, an 18.7-yard average. And yeah, for anyone keeping score, Nabers was drafted just two picks after Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2024 draft. This team has to get these issues ironed out, and fast, if they want to turn things around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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