Stampede Blue
When the news flashed that Kyler Murray would be sidelined for the week six tilt against the Indianapolis Colts, there were quite a few people expecting an absolute beat down. Overcoming numerous injuries that included the starting quarterback seemed like too much for a team that had lost three straight on last second field goals. Throw in Marvin Harrison Jr. going down and the odds seemed insurmountable. Not only did the Cardinals not back down; they almost won.
Why did they have a chance towards the end of the fourth quarter to steal an improbable road victory? Two reasons: NFL teams can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime and because the Colts defense was a sieve giving up way too many monster plays for big yardage. A 19-yard pick up here, a 16-yard scamper there, and a 25-yard dime over yonder. The defense struggled all day to create pressure and got beaten routinely all over the field. It didn’t matter if it was through the air or on the ground. The Colts couldn’t contain Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals’ offense.
Leaky coverage and poor tackling occurred all day. One thing that certainly didn’t help was Charvarius Ward being knocked unconscious before the game by his own teammate during pregame warmups. Losing your number one cornerback who could have taken away the Cardinals’ number one option was a blow the Colts couldn’t recover from. Rumors of a mid-season trade have been brewing and edge rusher or cornerback should be at the top of the list. The depth at cornerback was on full display today. Shockingly so. When one unit is depleted, it exposes the other ones. That is what happened today.
To not be all doom and gloom, maybe something like this is a good thing. Do it against an opponent like the Cardinals now to shore things up as the season progresses. The Colts got the win and the front office got the message that something needs to change. The Colts are riding a high right now and have an opportunity to keep it going. Get another piece in house, stop knocking out your own players, and they will have a chance to make some serious noise.
