Zaven Collins Displeased With Cardinals' Losing Ways
Arizona Cardinals second-year linebacker Zaven Collins is sick of losing.
His rookie year in 2021, Collins was a part of a Cardinals team that made the playoffs and won the first seven games of the season. Fast forward to 2022, a Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks puts the Cardinals in last place in the NFC West with a 3-6 record.
It hasn't been a pleasant season thus far for the Cardinals, and Collins let it be known what he'd do for a win.
"We have to figure it out," Collins told reporters Monday. "I don't care what we have to do. I don't care if I have to cut off a finger. We've got to figure out a way to win no matter what."
Arizona's offense had gaffes across the board after scoring a touchdown on their opening 83-yard drive. The Cardinals were held to 95 yards and no scores over its final four drives of the first half.
But there were mishaps on the defensive side of the ball as well for Arizona. They allowed 21 points in the second half and let the Seahawks cap off a 1:18 minute, 85-yard touchdown drive at the end of the fourth quarter to seal the 31-21 win.
Collins believes the Cardinals aren't finishing their tasks on defense.
“The plays that you’re supposed to make will fall right into your lap. (Vance Joseph) sets the defense up for us like that. We just (have) got to execute," Collins said.
Collins posted seven tackles – four solo – and returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in Sunday's losing effort.
The Cardinals' first-round pick in 2021 has already surpassed the number of starts he made last season, all nine games so far in 2022 to six in 2021. The Tulsa product is second on the team with 61 tackles (39 solo) and has two sacks, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble and now an interception — the first of his career.
Collins' interception for a touchdown in the third quarter was Arizona's fifth on defense this year, which leads the league.
But the defense still let Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith throw for two touchdowns. Running back Kenneth Walker ended the day with 109 yards and two scores on 26 carries.
Penalties were also an issue for the Cardinals, who had 12 accepted penalties for 77 yards. One of the penalties was on Collins as he was flagged for a questionable unnecessary roughness on Tyler Lockett.
On a third-and-12 play, Collins tackled Lockett to the shoulder on a 12-yard reception that would've been a first down anyway. That tacked on 15 more yards for Seattle and they would later score a touchdown on that drive.
Collins told the media Monday that Lockett said he didn't think it was an illegal hit.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. That sucked," Collins said.
Arizona will have to know what to do on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
It's starting to look like a lost season in the desert as the Cardinals have lost four games in the last five tries.
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