The Arizona Cardinals kicked off their NFL season in the best way possible, winning their first two games in a row. However, their first loss in Week 3 against the 49ers, followed by a recent home defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, now puts their status as a division contender in serious doubt — raising questions about the future for Kyler Murray and his team.
The frustration was palpable after the narrow three-point loss at State Farm Stadium, especially since it was a crucial divisional matchup that would, in many ways, set the tone for Jonathan Gannon’s team this season.
Murray ended the game with the same vibes and feelings, telling the media he values his team’s resilience but acknowledges it hasn’t been enough to secure wins.
“We’ve got to make more plays. We’ve got to show up, be ready to go. It’s like (expletive) is loading, you know what I mean, and it’s taking too long,” the talented quarterback said.
Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals.
“Obviously, the resilience of the team, you love to see it, and you feel like you give yourself the chance to win the game at the end, but it’s just too late.”
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Shuffle the deck and deal again
After an inspiring 2-0 start, the Arizona Cardinals and HC Jonathan Gannon now find themselves in a precarious position, having dropped two heartbreaking contests in a row on walk-off field goals to sit at 2-2.
The major issue, which Gannon himself has pointed to, is a glaring lack of sustained offensive execution, especially in the early game, leading to a struggle for consistent scoring.
With the offense not doing enough to win, the coaching staff is under pressure to reset and adapt their strategy, focusing on generating more explosives and improving their overall run efficiency, particularly after losing lead running back James Conner to injury.
For the Cardinals to return to the win column and stay relevant in the tough NFC West race, the entire team—starting with Gannon—must find urgent solutions to their offensive woes before the season slips away.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon of the Arizona Cardinals talks with quarterback Kyler Murray.
Murray shows confidence in Harrison Jr.
Despite the clear and recurring struggles of the Cardinals’ offense during stretches of games, Kyler Murray remains confident in Marvin Harrison Jr.’s talent. The quarterback believes their connection has serious potential — and could become one of the league’s most talked-about duos in the near future.
“He needs me, I need him,” he said. “This is a team sport, four-quarter game, and I understand he’s not coming out of the game. I don’t want him to come out of the game. So, we’ve got to get this going. And that’s really just what it is. Just conversations on the sideline, keeping his confidence up.”
“I love the way that he fought back and continued to play hard and continued to make plays,” Murray also added. “Obviously, he’s probably going to go home thinking about that (expletive). But at the end of the day, again, it’s football. We all make mistakes. But he continued to battle. I’m excited.”
