Cardinals: Three Storylines to Follow vs. Falcons

There are three things to watch for when the Arizona Cardinals go up against the Atlanta Falcons on New Year's Day.

Author:
Ryan Sanudo
Publish date:
Dec 31, 2022 1:19 PM EST

In this story:

The Arizona Cardinals are set to play their second-to-last game of the season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

However, both squads have already been officially eliminated from the postseason, so this matchup will come down to pride and what's in store for 2023.

Without further ado, here are three Cardinals storylines to watch as the action unfolds in Week 17:

Something's Got to Give

Arizona is suffering through a disappointing 4-11 season and has lost the last five games. Atlanta is right behind them, going through a 5-10 season and has lost the last four games. Someone has to win, but either team would benefit from losing the next two games in order to improve their draft position. Both are in the top six in the draft order.

Falcons third-round pick Desmond Ridder has yet to throw a touchdown pass in two starts. Atlanta's offense ranks 31st in pass yards per game which will be going up against an Arizona team that ranks 30th in points allowed. It's no different with Arizona's offense that

Atlanta's defense ranks No. 28 in total yards allowed and Arizona's offense ranks No. 29 in yards per play. Recently, the Falcons' defense has had the upper hand, allowing point totals of 19, 19, 21 and 17 in their last four games.

Cardinals QB Carousel Continues

The Cardinals are set to start their fourth different quarterback of the season as David Blough will be the signal-caller for Sunday after Colt McCoy showed symptoms from his concussion and was ruled out.

Blough will now make his first start since 2019, when he lost in all five of his starts with the Detroit Lions. He gets his opportunity one week after the Cardinals' overtime loss to Tampa Bay in Trace McSorley's first start. McCoy, McSorley and now Blough have combined to start at quarterback following Kyler Murray's season-ending knee injury on December 12.

McSorley didn't do enough against Tampa Bay to get the start over Blough. He threw one interception and only completed one of ten passes to DeAndre Hopkins.

In five career starts, Blough has thrown four touchdowns and six interceptions and completed 54% of his passes.

Watt's Retirement Tour

The football world was shocked after J.J. Watt announced his retirement through Twitter during the week. Even head coach Kliff Kingsbury didn't know about his decision until the announcement.

Watt, 33, has played the last two years in Arizona and showed his five-time All-Pro self in recent weeks. He had three sacks against the Denver Broncos in Week 15 and two tackles for a loss against the Bucs on Christmas.

Watt's only missed one game in 2022 after missing 10 games last season due to a shoulder injury. He's been a warrior throughout his career, and most notably played in an October game three days after having his heart shocked into rhythm.

Energy, effort and strength has never been a problem for Watt, so don't be surprised if Watt continues to disrupt Atlanta's offensive line on Sunday.

“I’d much rather go out playing good football, knowing that I could still play,” Watt said.