The Sports Xchange

TEMPE, Ariz. — Under head coach Bruce Arians, the Arizona Cardinals had grown accustomed to winning close games.

So it was surprise, at least to them, when they lost to the Rams, 24-22, on Sunday.

“Those types of games, we’ve got for two years,” Arians said. “It’s the first one we’ve lost like that and it’s hard to swallow because of the fact that we have won so many in the fourth quarter here the last two years. I think we just anticipated that we’d make the play to win this one and we didn’t get it done.”

The Cardinals didn’t deserve to win. The Rams outplayed them in every facet.

The Cardinals committed three turnovers and didn’t force any. The defense gave up 17 points after those turnovers. The Cardinals scored one touchdown in five red-zone opportunities and were 2-for-11 on third down.

For the Cardinals, the bright side is they are 3-1. But they are heading into the toughest stretch of the season, with six of the next eight on the road, beginning Sunday in Detroit.

“I’m happy that we’re in first place,” Arians said. “I would have liked to have had that game. Hopefully, this won’t come back to haunt us.”

The biggest concern that emerged from the game was the poor pass blocking. Not one offensive lineman played well. And running backs and tight ends missed blitz pickups.

Quarterback Carson Palmer was sacked four times and hit on numerous other occasions.

“We ran the ball extremely well and very efficiently,” Arians said. “But the pass protection as a group was very iffy and it was all the way across. It would’ve been nice to point at one guy, but all five guys had their hand in it, and the tight end and the backs. David (Johnson) missed a blitzer one time, who he was supposed to pick up. The tight end and tackle missed a blitzer they were supposed to pick up. Our communication was terrible in this ball game. When they went into their three-man line and nickel blitzes, we did not handle it very well.”

The day after, the Cardinals did their best to put the game in perspective. It’s one loss and no one expected them to go undefeated this season. But the loss does put a premium on fixing problems before the most difficult stretch of the season.

The Cardinals are built to bounce back. They have a solid core of veterans who keep the rest of the team grounded.

Sunday’s loss was not due to overconfidence.

“We’re not that kind of group,” receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “We’re a bunch of blue-collar guys. We’re not one of those teams that needs to be humbled. It’s the NFL. I’ve been in it awhile. You’re always going to get served some humble pie. It’s just how it happens in this business.”

REPORT CARD VS. RAMS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C. Carson Palmer passed for 352 yards but he was sacked four times, and the team scored one touchdown in five red-zone possessions. David Johnson dropped a touchdown pass, and tight end Jermaine Gresham and receiver Larry Fitzgerald had drops.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: C. The numbers suggest the grade is too low: 21 carries for 113 yards. But the Cardinals lost yardage on four of five runs in the red zone. The failures made them one dimensional in the red zone in the second half.

–PASS DEFENSE: D. Again, the numbers are deceiving. The Rams passed for only 171 yards. But Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes, and he was sacked only one time. Tavon Austin hurt the Cardinals badly, gaining 96 yards and scoring twice.

RUN DEFENSE: F. One carry into the second half, the Rams had gained only five yards on 10 carries. They finished with 164 yards on 26 carries. Rookie Todd Gurley ran through and around the Cardinals in the fourth quarter.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: C. K Chandler Catanzaro made all five field-goal attempts to keep the Cardinals in the game. Rookie David Johnson fumbled away the opening kickoff, leading to a Rams touchdown.

–COACHING: C-minus. The Cardinals were ready to play, but they didn’t play with intelligence. The Rams adjusted their running game at halftime and blew through the defense in the second half. On defense, they continually pressured quarterback Carson Palmer and made big plays whenever they needed.