The Arizona Cardinals are 1-1 through two weeks, but it’s hard to imagine they will be some Cinderella story this season after a clunker of an outing on Sunday against the Seahawks.
It’s not just that they lost. It’s because all of the concerns about this team heading into the season were on full display in the 31-7 defeat.
Here are the three issues from Week 2 that I expect to keep hindering the Cardinals in 2026.
3. The Trenches
The Cardinals sacked Drew Lock one time on Sunday, and it came from Budda Baker on a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the first half. Arizona has one legitimate sack from a defensive lineman this season, and star Josh Sweat has been virtually invisible through two weeks with just three tackles, one tackle for loss and zero sacks thus far.
On the flip-side, the Seahawks’ defensive front dominated the Cardinals, making Jacoby Brissett frenetic in the pocket throughout. If you’re going to have a statue at quarterback, the offensive line must be good, and the Arizona pass protectors were far from that on Sunday.
Arizona drafted Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, and while he’s shown explosiveness, the blocking has often been poor, leaving him with a 3.5 yards-per-carry average through two weeks.
2. The Back Seven
The Cardinals’ back seven held up surprisingly well against the Chargers in the opener, but the results were ugly against a backup quarterback in Week 2.
Drew Lock was 19-of-26 for 235 yards with three touchdowns for a yards per pass attempt figure of 9.0. He didn’t throw an interception and looked completely in control throughout the contest. Lock finished with a top-5 Total QBR leaguewide, pending Monday Night Football.
The big dagger came on Seattle’s opening drive, when Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught an 82-yard touchdown pass. It was a great play-call, as a pump fake by Lock and double-move by JSN duped either cornerback Will Johnson or safety Budda Baker. Those are two of the Cardinals’ most decorated players, and one made a huge mistake.
1. The Passing Game
Jacoby Brissett was dreadful on Sunday, completing 17-of-28 passes for 95 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He averaged 3.4 yards per pass attempt and had a second interception dropped.
Former top-5 pick Marvin Harrison, Jr. had zero catches and has just one through two games. Brissett is solid enough in the on-schedule passing game, but when there is pressure, he cannot escape the pocket, and it was never more clear than on Sunday.
While state media has been trying to hype up Brissett for nearly a year now, he continues to prove he is a fringe NFL quarterback who cannot realistically lead a team to great heights.
The Cardinals had a wonderful opening-week victory against the Chargers, but these three issues are not going away this season, and the losses should continue to mount.
Cardinals Have Three Reasons For Concern After Seahawks Blowout