In-Depth Statistics Show Why Arizona Cardinals Lost Week 5 Matchup with Broncos

Looking at the box score of the Week 5 matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos makes it appear as though the game was a blowout. By definition, it was. Losing by three touchdowns, 41-20, is a blowout, no doubt.

But taking a longer, more concentrated look at the stats paints a clearer picture than simply saying, "Oh, Peyton Manning smoked the Cardinals."

The game was close throughout the first half. Denver led at the break by only eight points, and quarterback Drew Stanton led a couple of long scoring drives.

How did the game get out of hand down the stretch? Can the reason for the second-half blowout be narrowed down to one reason?

The answers to those questions are not obvious by checking the Monday morning box score. That is why you are here—you want to know the real reason the Cardinals got their asses handed to them on Sunday.

This is why.

Antonio Cromartie vs. Demaryius Thomas Matchup

Everyone who watched the game either from Mile High Stadium or on a television knows Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas completely and utterly owned Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie from start to finish. It was bad.

How bad?

Manning targeted Thomas 13 times with Cromartie in man coverage of the star receiver, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Thomas caught six of those passes for 208 yards (34.7 yards per catch) and two touchdowns for a 132.2 passer rating. Cromartie allowed Thomas 127 yards after the catch.

That’s a start.

Among Worst Completion Rates Since Franchise Moved to Arizona

USA TODAY Sports

Inaccurate throws and dropped passes when the throws managed to be on target made this game look like one from the post-Kurt Warner era under former head coach Ken Whisenhunt. It was pathetic.

Stanton and rookie Logan Thomas combined to complete 35.3 percent of their passes, which, in case you are wondering, is not good.

It’s the fourth-worst completion rate for a single game since the franchise moved from St. Louis to Phoenix for the 1988 season.

The worst? You all remember that 7-6 loss to the New York Jets in December 2012, right? Quarterback Ryan Lindley managed 10 completions on 31 passing attempts in the loss, a hilarious 32.3 percent completion rate.

The dropped passes and inaccurate throws aided in nine Cardinals drives resulting in a three-and-out on Sunday. What’s troubling about that is Manning and the Broncos turned two third-down drops that would have resulted in first downs into touchdowns of their own.

We will never know the potential result of those drives if receivers John Brown and Ted Ginn, Jr. catch those passes, but we do know that missing opportunities against a Manning-led team will come back to haunt you more often than not—as the future Hall of Famer proved once again on Sunday.

Not being able to sustain drives because of incomplete passes moves us closer to the reason the Cardinals were blown out in the second half.

Pre- vs. Post-Calais Campbell Injury Run Defense

Twitter was abuzz Monday with debates about the legality of Broncos tight end Julius Thomas’ block at the knee of Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell. The injury has been diagnosed as a medial collateral ligament strain, which is less severe than originally thought and will keep Campbell out of games for one to three weeks, per Jess Root of Revenge of the Birds.

I’m not here to claim that Thomas hurt Campbell intentionally, nor will I get into what the proper punishment is for the tight end’s actions.

I will, however, show you how the Denver game plan changed immediately following Campbell’s departure, and how his injury affected the game.

Facts:

• Before his injury, Denver running backs carried six times for one yard (0.17 yards per carry). No, that is not a typo. One yard on six carries for Broncos running backs Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman before Campbell left.
• Immediately following Campbell’s exit, Denver’s game plan changed to feature the run game—especially going after the right side of the defense, which is typically where Campbell resides (those stats in a second).
• Broncos backs carried 18 times for 85 yards (4.72 YPC) and a touchdown in Campbell’s absence, which changed the game significantly. Of those 18 carries, six went directly at the right side of the defensive line for 37 yards (6.17 YPC).

	Carries	Yards	YPC	TD
Total	24	86	3.58	1
Pre-Injury	6	1	0.17	0
Post-Injury	18	85	4.72	1

Head coach John Fox is a smart man. You know Manning is smart. They know Campbell is the heart and soul of the defensive line and is one of the better run defenders in the NFL. All they did was take advantage of the situation.

But it cost Arizona possessions and kept the defense on the field in the second half. On top of the offense having six three-and-out possessions after the Campbell injury, the defense was on the field for 39 plays over that span.

The Broncos had the ball for 21:47 in the second half. Denver is not called the “Mile High City” for no reason. It literally sits a mile above sea level, and the air is thin, meaning less oxygen resides in it, meaning players don’t get as much oxygen with each gasp for air, meaning they run out of steam easier.

It was obvious what happened to the Cardinals in the second half.

Stanton left with a concussion, forcing the rookie Thomas into an NFL game before he was ready. Campbell left with the knee injury, changing what the Broncos wanted to do on offense.

An offense unable to move the ball, plus a defense unable to stop the run and which also allowed big chunks in the passing game, plus the thin air of Denver, Colorado, equals a gassed defense—ultimately leading to what became the second-half blowout.

Final Thoughts

The loss was ugly on more fronts than one; that won’t be argued. But at 3-1 and tied atop the NFC West leaderboard with the rival Seattle Seahawks, this loss is not as damning as you may feel it is.

Yes, the injuries to Campbell and outside linebacker Matt Shaughnessy, who was placed on the injured reserve/designated to return list Monday with a torn meniscus, per AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban, sting a bit. So does the injury to Stanton, who will have to pass concussion protocol to be available against Washington this weekend.

But don’t fret, Cardinals fans. According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, Carson Palmer has had a “breakthrough” in regards to his shoulder injury and could be ready to go as early as this week.

That, above all else, would help the team overcome its recent deficiencies. Head coach Bruce Arians’ offense has been a hot mess without Palmer leading it the past three games, and having that aspect of the game under control will take pressure off coordinator Todd Bowles’ injury-ravaged defense.

Buckle up, fans. This season is getting good.

All stats gathered from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated.