Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has seen his team improve its attention to detail in recent weeks, the elements of each game that not many notice, as he described. In doing so, the Cardinals have eked out wins on last-second field goals in back-to-back weeks to jump to 4-4 and first place in the NFC West.
Arizona has put itself in an opportune position to contend for the playoffs near the midway point when the schedule going forward is favorable. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.382) face a collective lower winning percentage than Arizona (.420).
Naturally, the confidence inside Arizona’s locker room is high right now. Gannon made a topical World Series comparison to a player going into an at-bat 0-for-10 versus following two home runs. But messaging from the players highlights the understanding that there is a lot to improve despite the recent success.
“It’s a funny thing, you gotta be happy with what you’ve accomplished so far, but at the same time there’s such a long road ahead, and I think the biggest thing you can’t fall into is some type of complacency,” center Hjalte Froholdt told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “I think in the NFL, you carry your losses as you carry your wins. … It’s not that you want to take the joy out of it, but there’s one ultimate goal and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”
“Anytime you get an opportunity and you come out the right end of it, there’s learning from that. The same if you have an opportunity and you don’t come out the right way, there’s an opportunity to learn from that,” Gannon told Burns & Gambo. “But I think when you do come out with a win or with some success, it’s not the proof is in the pudding so to speak, but I think you gain a little bit of confidence.”
Gannon commended the team’s resilience to this point in the season, considering the Cardinals came back to win three of the last four games and responded to two blowout losses with wins the following week.
Arizona trailed 27-18 in the fourth quarter at Miami, 15-14 in the final two minutes against the Chargers and 23-10 at halftime at the 49ers. No performance has been perfect, but the past month has been a step in the right direction in staying in games with opportunities to pull them out late.
“Everyone knows what we’re capable of,” wide receiver Michael Wilson told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke. “I think we’re in a great position as a team and I think with that comes a lot of hunger too, because we can control our destiny from here on out.”
Wilson feels the offense has played better a little bit “pissed off” or with a sense of urgency, and they need to keep that edge coming off arguably the most successful game of the season in many respects. Kyler Murray threw for 307 yards while Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. surpassed the 100-yard mark.
“I’m sure that message is going to continue throughout the coming weeks,” Wilson said. “When our backs are against the wall, I feel like we play our best ball. We have to manufacture that pressure.”
Jonathan Gannon breaks down key blitz
On Sunday, the Cardinals forced a Dolphins punt with five minutes remaining, leading to a 13-play, game-winning drive that ended on a Chad Ryland field goal.
On third-and 9 from Arizona’s 47-yard line, the Cardinals brought seven on a blitz that led to an incompletion, which Gannon broke down.
“Just thought for what they like to do around that area of the field, we thought we’d have a good chance to get it out of (quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s) hand in a third-and-long, either throw-catch-tackle, or be able to pressure him, get it out of his hand a little quicker than he wanted to,” Gannon said.
“I think they’re actually trying to set up a screen, and (Victor Dimukeje) kind of peeled it late. But Budda (Baker) played that well … I liked the play and the execution of it was good. We hit it on time, and the players executed. So that was a big-time stop to get the ball back with five minutes.”
Another first down would have put the Dolphins in field-goal range, as well as drained the clock.
Michael Wilson talks through touchdown
The Cardinals had an early 10-0 hole they climbed out of, as Wilson caught Arizona’s first touchdown of the day. Murray evaded the oncoming blitz and lofted the ball to a wide-open Wilson in the end zone, as the receiver had to improvise.
“We were in a bunch into the boundary, I had basically a back line,” Wilson said. “Zay Jones had a shallow cross. And truthfully, Miami’s defense just dropped me from the get, like they didn’t cover me at all. Kyler got pressured and when you play with a quarterback as skillful as Kyler with extension of the play, you have to have great wherewithal of where you are on the field and stay alive in throwing lanes.
“There was no one on me, so literally all I had to do was make my presence known and stay in the back of the end zone … Kyler did all the work.”
