The Cardinals should feel lucky, embarrassed and inspired. They are 2-0 and capable of so much more.
Or so we hope.
They need more from their offense, which needs more from its running game, which needs more from the linemen in the trenches. That’s where the mayhem begins. That’s where their identity is rooted. And every good football team starts with a strong identity.
After two games, the Cardinals are not running the ball with real purpose or authority. They were decent against the Saints in Week 1. They were terrible against the Panthers on Sunday, a team that entered with a grotesque streak upfront, allowing 200 or more rushing yards in seven consecutive games.
The Cardinals could only gain 82 against the Panthers. Even though they led 27-3 early in the second half and had no incentive to pass the ball.
It’s been a rough start for James Conner, who has posted a paltry 39 and 34 rushing yards in his first two games, although he contributed a key receiving touchdown on a goal-line shovel pass against the Saints.
To date, Conner has 23 carries for 73 yards (3.2 yards per carry).
Trey Benson has 11 carries for 83 yards and has been a more effective runner by average gain (7.5 yards per carry) in both games.
Yet Benson’s carries dipped from eight to three in the second game, where he was instead featured heavily in the passing game, targeted six times, or one more than Marvin Harrison Jr.
It raises a fascinating question: Does Benson deserve a co-starring role with Conner? Or are the diminished rushing attempts negatively affecting the veteran, a ramrod running back who needs his touches to work up a lather and wear down defenders with sheer attrition?
This is delicate stuff. Conner’s fight, physicality and reputation are vital engines in Arizona’s renovated culture. But all running backs who are powered by courage succumb to the pounding that comes with the profession, ultimately slowed by the violence they seek.
Or does the blame ultimately fall on the offensive line?
During the 27-22 win over the Panthers, the right side of the Cardinals’ offensive line struggled mightily. The television broadcast pointed out the struggles of right tackle Jonah Williams, but right guard Isaiah Adams hasn’t performed like he did in the preseason and is rating very poorly among NFL guards, according to Pro Football Focus. The promotion of Will Hernandez and his nasty streak might be inevitable.
Either way, the Cardinals must reclaim their DNA. For all the handwringing over Kyler Murray’s interception against the Panthers, a team built like the Cardinals shouldn’t be throwing the ball on third-and-3 from the 12 while nursing an 18-point lead. And in successive games, the Cardinals’ rushing attack has failed to put a game on ice.
That’s not a good sign for a team that should pose serious problems upfront and out in front, a team that should be at its best when playing with the lead. So far, the Cardinals have been anything but.
Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.