TEMPE, Arizona USA (AP) – Kyler Murray threw the ball, AJ Green never looked for it and the Arizona Cardinals lost a golden opportunity to go 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. Instead it all ended with a heartbreaking interception.
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Maybe it was for the best.
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The adversity of a tough loss comes sooner or later for almost every team in the NFL. The Cardinals almost made it to November without that feeling, but now it’s there, after losing 24-21 to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.
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“We knew it would come at some point. We fought the whole game. We just fell short. If we make that last play, we wouldn’t be talking about this, but that’s the way it is, “Murray said.
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Make no mistake, Arizona (7-1) still looks like a good team and is a candidate to win the West Division of the National Conference. But the Cardinals also looked like a very good team last year after starting 6-3, only to fade late and finish 8-8, out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
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Murray hopes that won’t happen again.
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“This is a very mature group. We have a lot of veterans, a lot of leaders within the team that I don’t think they are going to let that happen to us, so I am confident that we will recover and forget this defeat, “he said.
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It is true that this version of the Cardinals has quite a few veterans and more talent than the 2020 edition, but it is also true that the injuries are suffering. Defensive line member JJ Watt is nearly out for the rest of the season, star receiver DeAndre Hopkins is dealing with a hamstring problem and the Cardinals used third-team center Sean Harlow against Green Bay. for injuries to Rodney Hudson and Max Garcia.
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Even Murray limped off at the end of the game, although he said he was fine.
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Because they played Thursday night, the Cardinals now have extra days to rest. They will then travel to face San Francisco on November 7. Time would also allow them to fix problems like slow starts, costly penalties and poor tackling.
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The Cardinals said goodbye to perfection, but they can still be very good.
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“It’s a team that fights, that doesn’t give up,” he said of linebacker Jordan Hicks. “That’s the essence of this team.”
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Arizona’s defense has shown great ability to make big plays on fourth down. The only reason the Cardinals had a chance to win Thursday was because they closed the doors to their end zone in the fourth quarter. Devon Kennard deflected an Aaron Rodgers pass on fourth down, which was the 11th time in the past 15 chances the defense held out on fourth.
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The Cardinals have had a terrible bad habit of starting games very weak throughout the season. They have been at a disadvantage in games several times this season. Including games against the Vikings, Jaguars, Rams, Texans and Packers. They have shown that they have the talent to recover, but it is a very difficult way of life to maintain.
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