10 Notable Numbers From Cardinals Week 1 Loss
It wasn't a pretty game for the Arizona Cardinals in their 20-16 road loss to the Washington Commanders, but they went blow-for-blow and almost pulled off the upset.
But as the saying goes, almost/only counts in horseshoes.
In the game, there were several stand out numbers the Cardinals put up in the box score that help tell the story without having 100% of the context of the game. In fact, if you missed the game then these numbers were made for you.
Let's take a look at 10 numbers from the Cardinals that help to illustrate how the game went for them in week one.
3.6 yards per play
The Cardinals ran 58 plays against the Commanders to open the season up. The Cardinals recorded just 210 total yards on the day with a mediocre passing game that was carried by a rock-solid run game.
The team's 3.6 yads per play was heavily influenced by just 4.4 yards per attempt through the air. The Cardinals only managed 3.8 yards per carry, however the team notched 96 yards on the ground with James Conner leading the way with 62 on 14 carries.
114 net passing yards
More often that not, you would prefer you have 210 passing yards and then whatever else from your run game rather than the 210 total yards. The Cards instead had 114 net passing yards.
Josh Dobbs simply had some trouble running the offense as one would imagine when you consider he has been with the team less than a month. The reads weren't there and the team struggled as a whole.
33 receiving yards (Rondale Moore)
Beyond the net yards, Josh Dobbs tossed 132 passing yards with Rondale Moore leaded the team with 33. The passing game is certainly not perceived to be one of the team's best assets and a large portion is because the team lacks a true No.1 receiver. Still, 33-yards should not be the goal for anyone.
The hope entering this year was that Moore would be unleashed and that simply wasn't the case vs. the Commanders.
13 first downs
The Cardinals offense struggled as we've gone over, but the team managed to recorded just 13 first downs throughout the entirety of the game. Of the 13 first downs, nine came via pass and four via the ground.
4 third-down conversions
Of the 14 third down attempts the Cardinals faced, they converted just four of them - one on the ground and three through the air. Converting third downs needs to take a step forward and this was one of the biggest reasons why the Cards struggled to put up just nine points on offense.
3 fumbles (Josh Dobbs)
Turnovers are always bad and Dobbs gave up two of his three fumbles. The Commanders pass-rush was certainly a punishing unit and Dobbs is still need to the offense, but fumbles are fumbles. this has to be cleaned up sooner rather than later.
9 tackles (Kyzir White)
White was one of the bigger additions to the Cardinals during the offseason. White was coming off a great season in 2022 where he recorded 110 tackles and 1.5 sacks over a full season with the Eagles. He found lots of success under the Philly's previous defensive coordinator and now Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.
In his debut game with the Cards, White paced the team in tackles with nine total and tied with Marco Wilson for a team-high five solo stops. While many would like to see White make more impact plays like sacks and turnovers, having a reliable tackler is just as important for the defense.
6 sacks
For those who were curious about the Cardinals pass rush in 2023, they looked very good in their first game under Gannon.
The Cards brought down Sam Howell six times including a two sack performance from Dennis Gardeck including a strip that resulted in a scoop-and-score for the defense. Gannon clearly knows how to dial up a pass rush even without household names. Here's hoping this is an ongoing trend for the team.
54-yard long field goal
Prater is back for his 17th season and third in the desert. Prater has always been known for his cannon of a leg and he showed it off for the Cardinals vs the Commanders by nailing a a 54-yarder. It's nothing we aren't accustomed to seeing at this point from the 39-year-old, but we love to see it all the same.
9 penalties
The biggest outside factor in most games that will cost you wins are penalties and this game had a slew from both teams. The Commanders had eight flags thrown on them, but the Cards slightly edged them with nine called on them. I feel like this is self explanatory, but this has to change moving forward.
There's already a lot of factors going against the Cardinals in 2023. The last thing they need is to commit penalties.
