Three Takeaways From Cardinals' Ugly 24-15 Loss to Broncos

The Arizona Cardinals suffered their fourth straight loss in Week 15 to the Denver Broncos.

Author:
Ryan Sanudo
Publish date:
Dec 18, 2022 8:15 PM EST

In this story:

The Arizona Cardinals continued to show their shortcomings on both sides of the ball in Week 15, as they lost 24-15 on the road to the Denver Broncos.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense was held without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. Vance Joseph's defense allowed 130 rushing yards to Latavius Murray.

Arizona (4-10) is officially eliminated from the 2022 playoffs and will head back to State Farm Stadium to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Christmas Day.

Three more weeks of action and the Cardinals' eyes will then shift to what happens in an offseason filled with immense uncertainty.

Here are the team's three takeaways following their Week 15 defeat:

Ugly as Ugly Can Get on Offense

Expectations were low for the Cardinals entering Week 15 as they had to go up against Denver's defense, which is among the NFL's best.

Colt McCoy completed 13 of 21 passes for a mere 78 yards and an interception in the first half. He left the game in the third quarter and was ruled out after suffering a concussion. Third-string backup Trace McSorley came in relief and completed 7-of-15 passes for 95 yards and two interceptions.

James Conner had flashes of effectiveness. He attempted 15 runs for 55 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 28 yards.

But in total, the Cardinals finished with 240 yards on offense. Arizona mustered just 73 total rushing yards on 20 carries. The team was 2-of-12 on third downs and had seven penalties.

J.J. Watt Headlines DL Sack Dominance

The 33-year-old Watt had three sacks in the first 30 minutes against backup quarterback Brett Rypien.

He entered Sunday sitting at 6.5 sacks and managed to receive two salary increases. His first sack surpassed seven sacks for the season and gave him a $500K incentive, according to ESPN's Field Yates. The next sack added another $200K to Watt's wallet.

Other Cardinals defensive linemen came to the sack party. Markus Golden, Myjai Sanders, Jonathan Ledbetter and Trysten Hill each nabbed one sack.

On defense, Arizona posted nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, four passes defensed and an interception.

Opposing Run Games Continue to Haunt Cardinals

Arizona's defense has been inconsistent all season long. Entering Week 15, the Cardinals gave up a league-high 26.8 points per game. The team has only held three opponents below 20 points all season.

The Cardinals were a bottom-ten rush defense before their game against Denver. They would have a hard defending the 32-year-old Murray, who ran for over 100 yards for the first time this season.

Even Marlon Mack had five carries for 37 yards including one rushing touchdown. In total, Denver ran for 168 yards on 34 attempts.

It was way too easy for Denver's depleted offensive line to run scheme against Joseph's defense.