Even a leaping Larry Fitzgerald was not enough to lead Arizona to its second straight win. (AP) |
Well, that was fun while it lasted. Shamed, embarrassed and personally affected by a team-worst loss to Seattle in Week 14, the Arizona Cardinals responded in a big way last week against Detroit. They took advantage of the Lions' inefficiency, capitalized on mistakes and stayed out of their own way. All that positive emotion translated to absolutely zero on Sunday against Chicago, though, as the Bears went up big in a hurry and coasted to the 28-13 win to send the Cardinals to 5-10.
Offense: D
Held back by just the latest quarterback du jour, Arizona once against mustered little threat offensively. This time, Ryan Lindley gave way to Brian Hoyer, the recently signed ex-New England backup who had a grand total of 27 pass completions before Sunday. He managed 11 more against the Bears, but needed 19 attempts and also threw an interception. That somehow proved worse that Lindley, who went 17 of 30 for 141 yards and an interception returned for a touchdown by Charles Tillman that led to his benching. The running game experienced a similar merry-go-round, and nothing worked there, either -- the Cardinals gained a total of 29 yards on 19 carries. Larry Fitzgerald's 111-yard game didn't even do much to inspire. Previous game's grade: D
Defense: C
A week after simply toying with Matt Stafford, the Cardinals did an admirable job on Jay Cutler. Only they were not quite as opportunistic, and the Bears were able to avoid critical mistakes. Cutler hit on just one of his first 11 passes but then settled into a small groove amd had some success with Brandon Marshall, who caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Matt Forte added 88 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown, and he was used surprisingly little. Previous game's grade: A+
Special teams: B-
The Cardinals got a late touchdown on a blocked field goal that was scooped up and returned by Justin Bethel for 82 yards. The kicking game was solid with Dave Zastudil booming six punts inside the 20-yard line and Jay Feely hitting all three of his attempts (two field goals, one PAT), but the return game is still a shell of its former self. Previous game's grade: A-
Coaching: C
In the NFL, one injury can make or break a coach, and tackle Levi Brown's absence all year might prove the downfall of Ken Whisenhunt. The offense continues to be awful behind a poor offensive line, and Whisenhunt has no more ideas left. Previous game's grade: A
For more news and analysis from Cardinals blogger Jon Gold, follow @CBSCardinals on Twitter.