Cardinals Torn Apart by Colts

The Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning appear to be rounding into midseason form, with an unblemished 3-0 record. The Arizona Cardinals can restart the tailspin.

The Cardinals got whacked by the Colts on Sunday night, losing 31-10 at home thanks to four touchdowns from Manning.

Manning had a career day, moving up and down the field against the Cardinals at his whim. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 379 yards and the aforementioned four touchdowns, with one interception as his only blemish all night.

Warner could never get into a rhythm, as the Colts pressured him from the very first snap. Warner’s lack of rhythm has been an ongoing issue for the Cardinals this season, as the offensive line does not seem to be currently capable of providing Warner with the necessary protection.

Warner is also still healing from a hip injury that could be limiting the amount of zip he gets on his throws, or impacting his time of release. Whatever the issue may be – an issue clearly exists, as Warner threw two picks and only one score on Sunday night.

On a bright note, the Cardinals did get within the Colts’ 5-yard-line twice in the first half on Sunday. They left with no points thanks to a Tim Hightower fumble and one of Warner’s interceptions, a tipped ball intended for WR Larry Fitzgerald.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 5:35 pm by bryan

Cardinals fall to Colts, 31-10

The Arizona Cardinals fell flat on their face before a national audience in a 31-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Many felt that the Cardinals had gotten back on track after last week’s drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that is clearly not the case.

Arizona gave up nearly 400 passing yards to Peyton Manning and that prolific Colts passing game.

They also continued their struggles on offense, as quarterback Kurt Warner tossed just one touchdown pass and Larry Fitzgerald had a quiet evening.

at 4:47 pm by steve

Cardinals roll past Jaguars, 31-17

Much has been made of the Arizona Cardinals and their road woes on the East Coast over the past few seasons.

Well, I think that’s just about over now.

The Cardinals showed that the jet lag and time difference was no big deal, racing out of the gates en route to a 31-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Cardinals jumped on Jacksonville early and often, building a 31-7 lead before the Jaguars tacked on a couple of touchdowns in garbage time.

Quarterback Kurt Warner was on fire, connecting on 24 of 26 passes and throwing two touchdowns.

Things got so ugly that Matt Leinart actually relieved Warner and got some playing time in the fourth quarter.

Monday, September 21, 2009 at 5:31 pm by steve

Cardinals fall to 49ers, 20-16

The Arizona Cardinals sleepwalked through the preseason, and it looks like they decided to hit the snooze button once the game started counting.

The Cardinals got off to a sluggish start and never really got going, falling to the San Francisco 49ers, 20-16.

It’s a poor loss for the Cardinals given that it came to a divisional opponent that isn’t really that good and it came on their home turf.

Arizona’s leading receiver in the game was running back Tim Hightower, which is a major red flag.

The Cardinals are going to need to get things cleaned up in a hurry if they want to be a playoff team.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 4:31 pm by steve

Boldin expected to play Sunday

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin is expected to start Sunday in the team’s season opener.

Boldin is dealing with a strained hamstring, which is not a good sign for the wideout when the season hasn’t started yet.

The wideout is pretty much as good as anyone in the league, but staying healthy has been a challenge.

If Boldin is unable to go, Steve Breaston would step in as the No. 2 wideout. He has proven to be a solid target in the past when replacing Boldin in the lineup.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 5:42 pm by steve

Cardinals’ Rally Falls Short Against Packers

The Cardinals preseason offensive woes continued against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, as head coach Ken Whisenhunt was livid when the Packers starters opened up a 38-10 lead on the Cardinals. Despite a late rally from backup QB Matt Leinart, the Cardinals fell to the Packers, 44-37.

Green Bay’s QB Aaron Rodgers completed 14-of-19 passes for a stellar 258 yards and three TDs in a little over one half of work. After the Cardinals threatened to make it a game in the middle of the second quarter with RB Beanie Wells’ first professional TD run, Rodgers opened up the next drive with a 76-yard backbreaking bomb to WR Jordy Nelson, to put the Packers up 31-10 and put the game officially out of reach.

“It’s embarrassing what that team did to us in the first half,” said coach Whisenhunt.

In the second half, backup QB Matt Leinart led a furious charge, cutting the lead to 38-37 before finally falling short.

Wells, the Cardinals’ first round draft pick, picked up 46 yards on seven carries in his debut in a Cardinals uniform, including the 20-yard TD and a 2-yard run for a score in the third quarter.

Whisenhunt called the running game “a bright spot on a dismal evening.”

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 8:47 pm by bryan