Going into Atlanta, the Cardinals had one thing on their mind; how to contain Mike Vick. Using various QB spies and 5-man fronts, the Cardinals defense held strong for the third-straight week, keeping their team in the ballgame and shutting down Vick, who was held to 183 total yards and three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 interception). Not only was Vick turning the ball over, but the Cardinals forced four turnovers on the day.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to help the Cardinals win, as the offense often shot itself in the foot. Josh McCown played poorly throughout the game, and he still hasn‘t recorded a TD pass this season. Although McCown completed 77% of his passes, he was later pulled after his third fumble on the day. Shaun King saw a quarter’s worth of action, leading the team on a late rally, only to have his supporting cast give the game away. Perhaps a quarterback controversy is underway in Arizona.
Arizona had great opportunities to win the game in the fourth quarter, getting within the Atlanta six-yard line until Josh McCown was sacked and fumbled the ball. Later in the fourth, the Cardinals got down to the Atlanta 11-yard line but failed to do anything, settling for a field goal by Neil Rackers, who‘s improved play has been a pleasant surprise this season. Then with 3:19 left in the game, Arizona got the ball back on the Atlanta 19, until Karl Williams gave it back.
One positive for the defense was the line, and how it effectively sacked Vick, something they couldn’t do even against non-mobile quarterbacks. Peppi Zellner had two of the teams five sacks, and the line was actually able to put pressure on the quarterback, something that the Cardinals have failed to do for years. Zellner added a fumble recovery and two tackles to his stats for the game.
The rookies also played well throughout the game, as Darnell Dockett had seven tackles and a fumble recovery. OLB Karlos Dansby recorded a sack as well as three tackles in the game. Larry Fitzgerald continued his solid play tallying 5 receptions for 37 yards, although he was double-teamed and ran short routes all day.
Again, the Cardinals played hard for 60 minutes, yet lost the game because of offensive woes. Arizona has lost six of their seven games under the Dennis Green regime, including pre-season games. They come back home to Sun Devil Stadium next week to play the Saints, who are fresh off an overtime win against the Rams at St. Louis, where Arizona lost week one.
