Cardinals at Bills: 3 things we learned
By Matt Kerns
The Buffalo Bills came up with the biggest upset this week,defeating the Arizona Cardinals 33-18 on Sunday.
Was it unexpected? Yes. Improbable? Yes. Impossible? Hardly. The Bills came into this game on the heels of starting off the season 0-3 and potentially moving on from head coach Rex Ryan. For now, they’re 1-2 and Ryan is safe. We’ll just have to wait and see how much longer that’s the case.
Arizona never mustered up a comeback and couldn’t block the blows that Ryan and the Bills offense were delivering by way of the ground game. Sitting at 1-2 now, the Cardinals, who were considered Super Bowl contenders by many, must use this game as a wake-up call to regroup and get better throughout the rest of the season. Here’s what we learned.
1. Carson Palmer still is turnover-prone
It wasn’t a pretty Sunday at all for Palmer, who has been known throughout his 13-year career as a high-risk, high-reward type quarterback. The problem on Sunday was that the reward never came. For Palmer, it was a similar collapse to the one in the NFC Championship game a year ago. He had four interceptions and didn’t get into any sort of groove, not even late in the game, and never looked comfortable.
Here is a chart via Pro Football Focus breaking down Palmer’s production under pressure.
It says it all. While Palmer’s poor ball placement hurt the Cardinals, it wasn’t the only reason why they lost this game. But anytime your field general tosses four picks, it’s likely to be a long day.
2. Rex Ryan is safe, for now
How much longer is he safe for? My guess would be at least another two weeks. The key thing here to remember is this was a significant win for the Bills, against a worthy opponent. Did Arizona perhaps leave some of their juice back home in Phoenix? No doubt. Still, this is a good win, and I won’t take anything away from Ryan or the Bills.
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Ryan won’t be winning Coach of the Year anytime soon, however, you can’t argue the Bills didn’t win this one the Ryan way: running the football and playing defense. They were the beneficiary of multiple turnovers, including a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.
3. Anthony Lynn looks like he’s favored in Buffalo
When the Bills fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman a day after they scored 31 points, the football world was left scratching their heads. But after Sunday’s dominant offensive performance, especially on the ground, new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn seems to be well liked by the Bills. Guard Richie Incognito pointed out how Lynn came to the players and asked them what they wanted to run, and what they thought was best for the team (via BuffaloBills.com).
The offense looked inspired. They will need Tyrod Taylor to play a bigger role throwing the football as the season progresses though. But take nothing away from what they were able to achieve on the ground against a good Cardinals defense.