gophnx.com

Cardinals’ Mistakes Add Up to Another Late-Game Loss

Upgrade Your Fandom

Join the Ultimate Arizona Cardinals Community!

Alex D’Agostino Avatar

Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett sacked by Packers LB Micah Parsons.

It’s becoming somewhat difficult to find different words to describe nearly the exact same outcome each week.

On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals blew a fourth-quarter lead for the fourth time in five weeks, losing their fifth straight game by a score of 27-23 against the Green Bay Packers. The Cardinals led by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and led again 23-20 with under six minutes to play while in possession of the football, and could not come away with the elusive victory.

The most frustrating reality is, for the first three quarters, the Cardinals played mostly complementary football. They moved the ball up-and-down the field, led methodical scoring drives and generally held Green Bay in check defensively.

But, once again, the late-game execution was not enough to see the contest through. Nick Rallis’ defense could not hold the Packers out of the end zone when it mattered most, and Arizona’s last-gasp offensive drive ended with a turnover on downs.

As has been the norm, there were multiple moments that — if executed properly — could have led to a different outcome. It was more than just one side, or one player.

Cardinals’ Mistakes Catch up to Them

Toward the end of the first half, the Cardinals’ offense did exactly what it needed to — drive the ball down the field with urgency. With only a handful of seconds remaining on third down in the red zone, Jacoby Brissett aggressively fired a touchdown strike to Trey McBride for what should have been a 13-3 halftime lead.

But instead, Arizona’s defense could not prevent the Packers from gaining 22 and kicking a 61-yard field goal, despite giving them only seven seconds with which to do so. Those three points changed the complexion of Arizona’s final drive, as Brissett was able to get them well into field goal range. Instead, they stalled out trying for a touchdown.

The Cardinals’ defense forced a quick three-and-out to open the second half, but three plays later, Brissett was strip-sacked, setting the Packers up with favorable field position. A questionable roughing the passer call on Dante Stills was all Green Bay needed to cash in for the score.

For the entire game, Arizona’s offensive line could not handle Micah Parsons and the Packers’ pass rush. Brissett was under pressure constantly, and was sacked six times for a loss of 43 yards — three of which were by Parsons. It’s tough to win a game when that happens, and yet they still had plenty of opportunity to earn a win.

Even once all those mistakes had passed, the Cardinals still saw themselves holding a fourth-quarter lead, as well as the football. Facing a 4th and 1 their own 48-yard line, Jonathan Gannon elected to go for the first down.

It was the right type of call to make in that situation — the Cardinals needed one yard to continue milking the clock, and they’d moved the ball well all game. If Gannon had elected to punt, and the ensuing outcome was less favorable, that decision would have been equally scrutinized.

With that said, the QB sneak was unsuccessful, and an opportunity to close out a game offensively was, once again, squandered.

The Cardinals out-gained the Packers 330-262, held the ball for nearly 10 minutes longer, and, for perhaps the first time all season, clearly had the better downfield passing attack. But Arizona’s defense surrendered 14 points and 118 of Green Bay’s 262 total yards in the fourth quarter alone.

Of all the concerning trends, this one might be the most egregious. A talented defense that has not shown up when needed the most is no longer able to deflect responsibility to a poor offense. Arizona has looked like a different team offensively, but the end results remain the same, and that now lies more firmly on Rallis’ unit.

Jacoby Brissett: The Good and the Bad

For the second straight game, Arizona’s aerial attack came with a surprising amount of fireworks. Brissett operated Drew Petzing’s offense with stability and poise. He completed 25 of his 36 passes for 279 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and also managed explosive plays of 43 and 35 yards while consistently getting the ball to his playmakers.

Brissett followed up his 320-yard game last week with 279 passing yards today.

Last time the Cardinals had 279 passing yards in consecutive games: Weeks 2 and 3 of 2021.

— Theo Mackie (@theo_mackie) October 19, 2025

Marvin Harrison Jr. caught the 35-yarder (with his hands) on 3rd and 14. WR Zay Jones hauled in the 43-yard strike on 3rd and 23 on a free play, and WR Michael Wilson twice picked up 10-plus yards on critical third downs. With Brissett behind center, long-distance downs suddenly no longer feel completely futile.

And, of course, star TE Trey McBride had a season-high 10 catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns — his first professional two-score game.

Brissett was not without his mistakes. He was responsible for a smattering of inaccurate passes, the strip-sack fumble and a missed chunk play to a wide-open Harrison that set up the crucial 4th and 1. But as a whole, Brissett continued to prove he’s capable of running this offense at a high level — something Murray has objectively not done this season.

It might be too little, too late for Arizona. Brissett likely isn’t a long-term solution regardless. But the Cardinals’ offense simply looks more powerful, explosive and consistent with their backup in the game at this stage of the season. Murray’s expected Monday night start against the Cowboys will provide a very intriguing look into Arizona’s QB situation.