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The Arizona Cardinals threatened but never led in their 20-17 loss to the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles at home in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season. The Cardinals fell to 2-3 and are tied for second place in the NFC West. Here we'll look at some takeaways from their loss in Week 5.
With Arizona behind by just three points, Cardinals kicker Matt Ammendola's late field-goal attempt went wide right. As a result, the home team's efforts to push this game into overtime fell short.
The Cardinals never led as they played catch-up to the Eagles. However, they appeared a threat to pull off an upset until Ammendola's missed field goal sealed their fate.
Take note that the Cardinals have lost all three of their home games this season and eight in a row over the last two seasons. This is their longest home drought since an eight-game skid in 1956-58 when the team was still based in Chicago.
Here are our four takeaways from the Cardinals' Week 5 loss vs. the Eagles.
Final. pic.twitter.com/a2MgWE5d5u
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 9, 2022
4. Slow start continues to hamper the Cardinals
Having a slow start was another issue for the Cardinals here. Remember that they had 18 plays for 50 yards, three punts, and an interception on their first four possessions en route to a 14-0 hole against the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL.
The Cardinals actually went scoreless in the first quarter again. Keep in mind that so far this season, the Cardinals have not scored a single point in any opening quarter. How's that for first-quarter futility, eh?
3. Cardinals D was pretty solid
For the first time this season, the Eagles were limited to less than 400 yards of total offense. The Cardinals defense was stout and limited the Eagles to 357 yards overall.
Stalwarts like defensive lineman Zach Allen, linebacker Isaiah Simmons, and cornerback Byron Murphy played really well in this game. Their efforts were huge in terms of keeping the Cardinals within striking distance.
Having said that, they did enable a 70-yard drive that consumed over eight minutes, leading to Philly's game-winning field goal.
The Cardinals defense also allowed the Eagles to convert on 6-for-13 of their third downs. Still, overall, the home team's defensive effort was solid.
2. Rondale Moore could be something
Many Cardinals observers and fans were dissatisfied with how the team was utilizing wideout Rondale Moore. Recall that in his 2022 debut in Week 4, he did not make any sort of impact.
In this game, he was also being given the ball behind or near the line of scrimmage many times early in the game. None of those resulted in much.
He did, however, break free on a 17-yard throw behind the line of scrimmage and was subsequently targeted down the field more often as the game progressed. Moore eventually hauled in seven passes for 68 yards. He also had the day's longest reception for the Cardinals at 28 yards.
Arizona fans are hoping to see more of this from the 22-year-old as they look ahead to the Seahawks in Week 6.
1. Kyler Murray was a mixed bag
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray only had one touchdown throw and 250 yards passing, but he also only made three errors the whole game.
The first was the interception in the first quarter. It was thrown too low. WR Marquise Brown was also in front of the defenders, and if Murray had gotten the ball over the top, it would not have been intercepted.
Next, on the last drive of the game, Murray passed up a wide-open Zach Ertz.
Third, Murray slid half a yard too early in the run-up to Ammendola's failed field goal at the end. It would have been a first down if he had started his slide a bit later, and the Cardinals could have run a couple more plays to try a shorter field goal kick.
It's not all Murray's fault, of course, but it's clear that he has been a mixed bag so far this season.
Remember that he is averaging under 250 passing yards per game and already has three INTs. In addition, he has been sacked seven times and has yet to register a triple-digit passer rating.
Looking ahead to Week 6, however, there is some good news. The Seattle Seahawks defense is incapable of stopping anyone, so Murray should build some traction against them. He might also benefit greatly from the return of DeAndre Hopkins in Week 7 when the Cardinals face a more difficult test against the New Orleans Saints.
