The Arizona Cardinals failed to halt their skid after they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 19-16, in overtime at home in Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season. It was the Cardinals' fifth loss in a row. They have not notched a win since Week 10 when they beat the Los Angeles Rams. Backup QB Trace McSorley struggled mightily in this game. The Cardinals were also in the red zone just once and lost 74 yards on six penalties. Right now, Arizona carries a 4-11 record, which is good enough for last place in the NFC West. They are already eliminated from any playoff contention. Here we'll discuss the four Cardinals most to blame for their Week 16 loss vs. the Buccaneers.

The Cardinals are currently in last place after this overtime collapse against the Buccaneers. Arizona had a 16-6 lead but gave it up in quarterback Trace McSorley's first NFL start. They also turned the ball over three times, which eclipsed a good day from their defense.

The Cardinals sank to the bottom of their division after the defending champion Los Angeles Rams improved to 5-10 after beating the Denver Broncos. Previously, the Cardinals and Rams had the same record, but the Cardinals had a slightly better conference record which gave them the tiebreaker in the division.

With two games left in the season, the Cardinals will face the Atlanta Falcons and the division-champion San Francisco 49ers. As it stands, the Cardinals will likely stay at the bottom of the division. That means they will move up in the order for the 2023 NFL draft. They would be ahead of the Rams and potentially picking fourth if the season were to end today.

For now, let us look at the four Cardinals most to blame for their Week 16 loss vs. the Buccaneers.

4. Coach Kliff Kingsbury

The Cardinals had numerous chances to defeat the Buccaneers and secure their fifth win of the 2022 season. However, their inability to deliver in critical moments proved to be the difference in the game. Despite the defense intercepting Tom Brady twice and holding him to only 19 points, the offense, led by a struggling quarterback, was unable to capitalize. This has been a recurring theme for the Cardinals throughout the 2022 season. While this loss brings them one step closer to a top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it is disappointing for the team and raises questions about the effectiveness of coach Kliff Kingsbury's game preparation.

3. WR Marquise Brown

Arizona wideout Marquise Brown had a relatively quiet night in the Cardinals' loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. He caught three of his six targets for a total of 57 yards, with 47 of those coming on a contested catch in the third quarter that set up a field goal. Brown also rushed for one yard and had the second-highest receiving yardage for the Cardinals. However, it appears that his production was limited by the fact that he was playing with first-time starter Trace McSorley. Brown will have either McSorley or Colt McCoy in the Cardinals' final game of the season against the Falcons. Once again, that means Brown might struggle to get a lot of yards.

2. WR DeAndre Hopkins

Cardinals star WR DeAndre Hopkins had a disappointing performance in their loss to Tampa Bay. Despite being targeted 10 times, he managed to catch only a single four-yard pass. This was partly due to the struggles of third-string quarterback Trace McSorley, who had difficulty getting the ball to Hopkins and often threw it out of bounds or off target. Even when Hopkins was open on his routes, he was unable to make significant catches.

This marks a career low for Hopkins, who had previously recorded a single catch for four yards in Week 4 of his rookie season with the Houston Texans. He will look to bounce back in the Cardinals' final game of the season against the Falcons, regardless of who is starting at quarterback.

1. QB Trace McSorley

Third-string QB Trace McSorley had a rather inconsistent performance in his first NFL start for the Cardinals on Sunday night. While he completed 24 of 45 passes for 217 yards and an interception, he also had several off-target throws and struggled to get the ball to Hopkins.

McSorley was also responsible for all three of the team's turnovers, including two lost fumbles and an interception on a Hail Mary throw at the end of regulation. His fumble on the Cardinals' first drive of the game cost them points. His attempted pitch to Keaontay Ingram in the fourth quarter also led to another fumble and turnover for the Buccaneers. With these issues and the possibility of Colt McCoy returning from a concussion in time for the Cardinals' final game against the Falcons, it is uncertain if McSorley will get another opportunity to start. We actually expect this is all we've seen of McSorley this season.