Arizona Cardinals Week 7 Report Card: Giving a Pass or Fail to Every Unit

That was a pretty tough loss that Arizona had yesterday to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It sank the Cardinals to four games behind the 49ers and is just about the last straw in the season. The sad thing is we are still in October.  

That said, let's take a deeper look at each unit and how it performed on Sunday against the Steelers.

Offense: Fail

I know some of you are thinking that the offense wasn't that bad. The Cardinals had two 80-yard drives in the game. 

The problem is you have to look at the entire scope of the game. The missed opportunities were there and blatantly obvious. Kevin Kolb missed Rob Housler yet again for a big play, and that's beginning to be a theme for the season. 

Kolb was intercepted on the first possession of the game on an awfully bad play. He was very jumpy, which is also becoming a theme for Kolb.

The problem is that Kolb's stats don't look bad to a passerby: 18-of-34 for 272 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. If you are watching the game, it's a different story. 

The biggest concern for the Cardinals could be the knee injury to Beanie Wells. The Cardinals are extremely thin at running back, and Wells being out for an extended period of time will probably expose more of Kolb's issues.

The offense ran for 73 yards on a good Pittsburgh defense, but that definitely tailed off after Beanie left hurt.

The Cardinals are still looking for that second receiver. After Larry Fitzgerald, the next leading receiver was LaRod Stephens-Howling. One positive to note was that the Cardinals were 2-of-2 in the red zone, which is an area they have struggled in badly.  

You are hearing more and more rumblings of putting in a new quarterback. Those rumblings are getting louder and louder as the season goes on, and coach Ken Whisenhunt may need to start listening, or it could cost him his job.

Defense: PhD in Fail

When the Steelers had the ball, you just knew that they would go all the way down the field, and boy did they. The first possession really showed how inept the Cardinals defense really could be. Heath Miller was so open for the first touchdown that he could have crawled in the end zone.

Mike Wallace's 95 yard touchdown play is pretty much something every team has exploited this year, and that is a weak secondary. Teams are picking on Richard Marshall and Patrick Peterson every single week, and usually the other team wins.

And how many times did you see the defense get pressure on Ben Roethlisberger? Not very many, but when it did, it was virtually impossible to put him down. I get it—he's 6'5" and about 250 pounds. It's going to take a few guys to really get him down and stay down. He escapes with the best of them. 

However, as with every other week, the defense was shredded for huge yards. This time it was for 445 total yards. 

The Steelers got every third down they needed, which was excruciating at times. The defense just couldn't make the big plays. 

As well, the penalties were so horrible that I'm sure any Cardinals fan had to be frustrated, especially after the touchdown score that brought the game to 14-7. The Steelers should not have been able to get that field goal, but alas, this is the Cardinals defense as we know it.

Special Teams: Fail

I hate to be so picky with this team, but they really did fail in most respects. Yes, Stephens-Howling scored—on offense.  

The real concern was how many yards were given up on punt returns. Antonio Brown averaged 22 yards on kickoffs and 23 on punt returns.

Dave Zastudil averaged 36 yards on his four punts, and he did have a long 58-yard punt. He put two of his four inside the 20-yard line, so he did pretty well.

That said, the Cardinals just gave up too many yards when they needed to give their defense some breathing room.

Coaching: Fail

Doesn't that picture tell the story?

You weren't the only one that questioned the non-attempt at the onside kick after they scored their third touchdown. The defense had not stopped Pittsburgh all day so with 3:53 left, and they were going to start?

Horrible play call.

I don't know how much longer the defense can play under Ray Horton. They just seem clueless out there.

Offensively, though, you may see a major shift in thinking if Beanie is out for an extended period of time, and my hunch is that he will be. Can Alfonso Smith and Chester Taylor shoulder the load?

And what about next week? The Cardinals play the best defense in the league, and if I'm Kevin Kolb, I would be cognizant of the fact that Ray Lewis will try to cut his head off. 

How will Whisenhunt and staff make the adjustments for that game, which looks to be a blowout knowing the way the season has gone on the road?

Sorry, Cardinals fans. It may be another 4-12 season.