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Three Bright Spots in Cardinals' Loss to Rams

The Arizona Cardinals weren't able to get the job done on Sunday, but that didn't leave fans without a few bright spots.

The Arizona Cardinals are now 1-2 after their defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, dropping their last 11-of-12 against Sean McVay and Co. 

The Cardinals again failed to produce points in the first quarter and trailed by double digits for the third straight game. 

Arizona's loss wasn't pretty, and style points (they don't even count anyways) weren't vast throughout their four quarters at State Farm Stadium. 

The Rams dominated from start to finish despite the Cardinals making it interesting on occasion. 

Now, Kliff Kingsbury and crew look to rebound in a major way when they prepare for their road test against the Carolina Panthers. 

While the game is still fresh, let's visit some bright spots in defeat:

Three Bright Spots in Cardinals' Loss to Rams 

Matt Prater

Matt Prater

This is going to sound really lame, and it probably is, but the Cardinals kicker failed to even attempt a field goal through the first two games of the season (he was 2/2 on extra points though).

The Cardinals needed Prater in a major way against LA, however, as they were unable to finish off big drives with touchdowns. 

He came through with four field goals for Arizona, nailing 23, 31, 43 and 49-yard tries to give the Cardinals all 12 points. 

With some uncertainty on both sides of the ball, it's nice to know the Cardinals can at least count on one aspect of special teams.

Photo: Alex Weiner, Sports Illustrated

Byron Murphy Jr. 

The Cardinals failed massively on defense on numerous occasions, including Cooper Kupp's 20-yard rushing touchdown early on. 

When it came to the receiving department, however, Kupp had a relatively quiet game by his standards, reeling in four passes for 44 yards. 

Byron Murphy Jr., Arizona's No. 1 corner, has now held two of the game's greatest receivers to quiet days after Week 2's two catch performance against Davante Adams. 

There's still plenty to clean up, but the Cardinals undoubtedly know they can count on Murphy to step up when the lights shine the brightest. 

Considering Arizona's current state in their secondary, that's indeed a win despite their two early losses. 

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Marquise Brown

No DeAndre Hopkins. No A.J. Green (he exited with an injury). No Rondale Moore. No Antoine Wesley. 

No problem. 

Marquise Brown has slowly steadied himself in Arizona's offense, and Week 3 paid big dividends in his trust and connection with Kyler Murray. 

Brown caught a career-high 14 passes on 17 targets for 140 yards, showing up in a major way when Arizona's offense felt depleted. 

"Ramsey is one of the best in the game so when he was elsewhere, we wanted to try and work that matchup and I thought Hollywood was open on some stuff and did a good job as he continues to get comfortable in the system," said head coach Kliff Kingsbury. 

"He plays hard and he's gonna be a really good player for us."

The Cardinals are unsure of what their receiving corps will look like in Week 4, but you can bet Brown will continue to produce when called upon. 

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