The Arizona Cardinals needed a bounce back performance after Week 1 and Phil Dawson needed it after missing a game winner at the end of regulation today, but in the end both the Cards and Dawson got their redemption on Sunday, as they beat the host Indianapolis Colts, 16-13 in overtime thanks to Dawson’s game winning field goal at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Arizona Cardinals vs. the Indianapolis Colts
Offense
The big concerns coming into Week 2 were, what would the Cardinals offense look like without star running back David Johnson and what would we see from the offensive line. Well, I don’t think we got a sense for that until late in the game. The Arizona running game was at its best with Chris Johnson at running back and the passing game was at its best when Carson Palmer had time in the pocket and was comfortable enough to step into throws to spread it around and attempt some deep throws. JJ Nelson really emerged today at receiver, making big play after big play. Clearly, this offense came and went at the will of the offensive line and their performance.
Chris Johnson led the Cards running game with 11 carries for 44 yards and Palmer ended up 19 for 36 for 332 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception. Nelson put away 5 grabs for 120 yards and a touchdown in his big game. Not the prettiest but it was enough.
Defense
The Cardinals defense started off a little rocky as they had to get a feel for the Colts attack under new QB Jacoby Brissett. The defense would end up settling down and did an excellent job containing Indianapolis and keeping this a close enough game to pull out in OT. The front 7 kept Colts running back, Frank Gore, to 46 yards on 14 carries, though Gore did find the end zone once. The mobile Brissett gave the Cards some early fits with his mobility but the defense didn’t let up as they got to him for 4 sacks on top of the continuous pressure. Colts tight end, Jack Doyle, did everything he could to extend Colt drives, bringing in 8 grabs for 79 yards. Overall, the Cardinals limited Brissett to a 20 for 37 effort for 216 yards and an interception.
Karlos Dansby led the Red Birds with 10 tackles while safety Tyrann Mathieu came up with a huge interception to start overtime and put the Cards in great field position for the eventual game winning field goal.
Cardinals Injuries
May just have come out of this healthy. No new injuries. David Johnson remains on IR 🙁
Up Next
Cardinals host the Dallas Cowboys in their 2017 home opener on Monday Night Football Sept. 25th at 5:30pm. Nothing would taste sweeter than getting to 2-1 vs the Cowboys in front of a national audience.
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