The Cardinals don’t have nearly enough firepower to challenge the Ravens. Kyler Murray should get a true “Welcome To The NFL” come Sunday.
WHAT: Week Two vs. Arizona Cardinals
WHEN: 1 p.m. (ET); Sunday, September 15
WHERE: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (71,008)
RECORDS: Cardinals, 0-0-1; Ravens, 1-0
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 4-2, with 2-1 records against Arizona both at home and on the road. In 2015, the Cardinals broke a four-game losing streak to the Ravens by winning at home on Monday Night Football.
TV: WBFF-TV, Channel 45 (Brandon Gaudin, Cris Carter, booth; Peter Schrager, sidelines)
RADIO: WIYY-FM, 97.9 (Gerry Sandusky, Jarret Johnson, booth; Kirk McEwen, sidelines)
REFEREE: Ron Torbert
About the Cardinals
—Even though they have operated in three different cities, the Cardinals franchise is the oldest continuously-operating franchise in the NFL. They began in 1898 as part of the Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago. The Cardinals and Chicago Bears are the only two charter members of the NFL still operating. The Green Bay Packers were born a year after the league began in 1920. During World War II, the Cardinals combined operations with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one year, with the team become known as Card-Pitt. The team stayed in Chicago until 1960, when it moved to St. Louis, then moved to Phoenix in 1988, where it was known as the Phoenix Cardinals before changing its name to Arizona in 1994.
—The Cardinals have had a mostly-dismal history. They’ve reached the playoffs only ten times, tied with Tampa Bay for the fourth-fewest in league annals and one fewer than the Ravens have reached in their much-shorter 23-year run. The franchise has an all-time record of 553-753-40 for a .426 win percentage, the second-worst among the league’s current 32 franchises. Only Tampa Bay is worse (.385).
—The Cards’ postseason appearance total includes three wild-card berths and seven division titles. That includes three in the modern-day NFC West (2008, 2009, 2015). Surprisingly, the Cardinals are the only team to have never lost a home playoff game, going 5-0. They won the 1925 championship by finishing atop the standings and benefiting from the suspension of the Pottsville Maroons, then won another title in 1947. Their next shot at a crown didn’t come until the 2008 season and Super Bowl 43 in Tampa when they narrowly lost to the Steelers.
—When the Baltimore Colts were part of the NFL, that team played the St. Louis Cardinals on eight occasions, splitting the series, 4-4. In Baltimore, the teams split the six meetings in Memorial Stadium. Overall, the Cardinals won four of the last five games between the teams before the Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984.
—As dictated by the NFL schedule formula, the Ravens and Cardinals (playing in different conferences), meet only once every four years. But their short series has had a colorful history. In 1997 at Memorial Stadium, Cardinals kicker Joe Nedney – who would become a Raven a few years later – kicked a field goal into the closed-end of the field to beat Baltimore. In 2011 at M&T Bank Stadium, the Cardinals raced out to a 24-3 lead before three Ray Rice touchdowns paced the Ravens’ greatest-ever home rally, 30-27, capped off by a last-second Billy Cundiff field goal.
—The Cardinals have a rather difficult 2019 schedule. The game in Baltimore is the first of five to begin at either 10 or 11 a.m. Pacific time. Not only that, Arizona has a midseason stretch of five road games in seven weeks just before its bye week. But after the week off, the Cardinals have three straight at home.
—The Cardinals allowed 158 second-quarter points last year and 100 in the third. Games involving this team rarely came down to the wire. In fact, AZ scored just 72 in the final period in 2018. But in the home opener last week, the team rallied from 18 points down to send its game with visiting Detroit to overtime, where it ended in a 27-27 tie, the league-high 40th tie game in franchise history.
—Last year, the Cardinals had one of the league’s worst turnover ratios at minus-12. That included 18 interceptions while picking off seven passes. In the fumble department, they only managed to pounce on nine of 20 opponents’ mishandles. Officials seemed rather even-handed in games involving the Cardinals, flagging the team for 101 accepted penalties and throwing 100 on their opponents. But the Cardinals’ per-game possession average of 26:33 was among the league’s worst.
—For a second straight week, the Ravens will be facing one of the league’s six brand-new head coaches. Former Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury is the 47th head coach in franchise history, a lineage that includes Green Bay Packers’ legend Curly Lambeau (1950-51). During his time with the Red Raiders (1999-2002), Kingsbury set 39 school records and 17 NCAA marks. New England drafted him, but he also spent time with the New York Jets, New Orleans, and Buffalo, as well as in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League. While coaching at the University of Houston and Texas A&M, his quarterbacks, such as Case Keenum and Patrick Mahomes, led the nation in passing. Notable assistants on Kingsbury’s staff include defensive assistant Rusty McKinney, a former linebacker at Towson (1998-2001), and defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who played over a decade in the NFL for the Houston/Tennessee franchise, as well as with the Seattle Seahawks.
—Through Week One, the Cardinals rank 14th in total offense (16th rushing, 14th passing, tied for 13th scoring). Their 41-percent third-down-conversion rate ranks 19th leaguewide. Defensively, Arizona ranks 28th in overall defense (19th vs. rush, 25th vs. pass, tied for 17th scoring). The team’s defense allows third-down conversions on one of every three chances, a 33.3 percent rate that is tied for the league’s ninth-best. However, the team is still lagging in possession average at 26:15 per game.
–-The Cardinals made an aggressive move in the draft, trading to the top overall slot to pick Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. In the Week One tie with Detroit, Murray brought his team from behind on the strength of a 29-for-54, 308-yard performance that featured two touchdowns, one interception, and a 75.2 passer rating. However, the porous offensive line allowed him to get sacked five times. Murray was a first-team All-America pick as a junior and was also selected by the Oakland Athletics ninth overall in the Major League Baseball draft. He was 57-3 as a high school and collegiate starter. Behind him on the depth chart is former Green Bay backup, Brett Hundley.
—Pacing the Cardinals’ ground game is David Johnson, a 2015 third-round pick from Northern Iowa. A big, sturdy back at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, Johnson gained 82 yards on 18 carries against Detroit last week, adding 55 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Despite missing nearly all of the 2017 season with a wrist injury, he has 43 total touchdowns, the most in franchise history over any player’s first four seasons. He is backed up by second-year player Chase Edmonds and DJ Foster.
—Terrell Suggs isn’t the only former Raven making a homecoming this week. Former draftee Maxx Williams is the Cardinals’ tight end backup. However, he has longtime NFL veteran Charles Clay in front of him. Clay was originally selected in the sixth round of the 2011 draft by the Miami Dolphins; he spent four years each with the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. Clay became the first tight end in Bills history to have over 500 receiving yards in each of three consecutive seasons.
—Any discussion of the Cardinals’ wideouts begins with the ageless Larry Fitzgerald, who’s now in his 16th season. Fitz was taken third overall by the Cardinals in the 2004 draft and shows no sign of slowing down, having caught eight balls for 113 yards and a touchdown last week. Fitzgerald played in his 235th game with the franchise last week, surpassing kicker Jim Bakken at the top of the list. He has been named to 11 Pro Bowls, second among receivers only to Jerry Rice (13). Fitzgerald ranks second in NFL history in career receiving yards (16,279), third in receptions (1,303), and is tied for sixth in NFL history with 116 career TD receptions. He is the Cards’ franchise leader in all those categories. The reception total is tops in league history for players who spent their career with one team.
—One of Fitzgerald’s backups is Damiere Byrd, a South Carolina product who gathered in four balls for 42 yards last week. He beat the odds as an undrafted rookie with Carolina in 2015, but signed with Arizona at the end of his rookie contract. Second-year receiver Christian Kirk also caught four passes last week. He was taken in the second round (47th overall) of last year’s draft from Texas A&M. Kirk caught 43 passes as a rookie with three touchdowns and a 13-yard average. In college, he caught Murray’s first-ever pass and touchdown toss. The Cardinals supplemented their wideout corps by signing former Ravens receiver Michael Crabtree, who was inactive for the opener.
—The Cardinals’ offensive line has been a shambles of late, allowing 52 sacks last year and five in the opener last week. Both right tackles listed on the depth chart, Brett Toth and ex-Pittsburgh Steeler starter Marcus Gilbert, were deactivated. Gilbert has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. The most veteran talent on the line comes in the person of left tackle and 2015 first-round pick DJ Humphries, taken as a right tackle from Florida, but switched to the left side two years ago. Another stalwart is right guard JR Sweezy, who was drafted by Seattle and played five seasons there, along with two in Tampa Bay. The center is eight-year Penn State product AQ Shipley, one of four ex-Ravens on the Cardinals roster. Replacing Gilbert at right tackle is 2013 Chicago Bears fifth-round pick Jordan Mills, now with his sixth NFL team.
—Team co-captain Corey Peters is the leader of the defensive line, which deploys as part of a 3-4 scheme. Peters had 43 total tackles last year (26 solo), along with 2.5 sacks. He spent the first five years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons and has won many sportsmanship awards, as well as the team’s ‘Media Good Guy’ honor. Rodney Gunter and Zack Allen are the ends on either side of Peters. Gunter was a sleeper in the 2015 draft out of Delaware State, but the Cardinals traded with Cleveland and moved up seven spots to take him. Allen is a third-round rookie (65th overall) from Boston College. He was the highest-rated edge defender in the ACC last year, deflecting eight passes at the line of scrimmage.
—The Cardinals have two great pass rushers on the outside in Suggs and ex-New England Patriot starter Chandler Jones, brother of ex-Raven Arthur Jones. Chandler has been a Cardinal since 2016 and has two Pro Bowls to his credit. His 41 sacks as a Cardinal – his 13 takedowns led the team last year – are the most in the NFL over that span. Meanwhile, Suggs played collegiately at Arizona State after being born in Minneapolis. He has been to seven Pro Bowls and has a Ravens-record 35 forced fumbles and 134.5 career sacks–the most among active players, including two sacks and five tackles in the Cards’ opener last week.
—Haason Reddick and Jordan Hicks are the Cardinals’ inside linebackers. Reddick is Arizona’s 2017 first-round pick (13th overall) and has played in all 33 possible games since–totaling 6.5 career sacks, 141 tackles, six pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. He also has a half-dozen special teams tackles. As for Hicks, he began his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles but moved to the Cardinals at the end of his rookie contract. The Texas product can fly to the ball. He has five career sacks, seven interceptions (one for a touchdown), six fumble recoveries, and 19 career pass breakups. Hicks had 14 tackles, two for loss, in the season opener.
—Cornerback Patrick Peterson, the fifth overall pick in 2011, has accumulated eight Pro Bowls and three All-Pro berths in his time with the Cardinals. He is currently serving a six-game suspension for a positive test for a performance enhancer, and that leaves the Cardinals’ secondary vulnerable. At the corners are Byron Murphy and Tramaine Brock. Murphy is a second-round rookie (33rd overall) from Washington, while Brock spent seven years in San Francisco and one each in Minnesota and Denver. Current Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph coached Brock while with the Broncos.
—Budda Baker and DJ Swearinger are the Cardinals’ safeties. Swearinger is just beginning his seventh season, but he is on his fourth different team. He did play two seasons with the Cardinals before going to the Redskins, then returning. Over the last three seasons, Swearinger has had 11 interceptions, second-most in the league behind Tennessee’s Kevin Byard (12). Baker, a 2017 second-round pick, was one of only three safeties in the league last year to have at least 100 tackles, two sacks, and eight tackles for loss.
—The Cardinals’ coverage teams are average at best, having allowed nine yards per punt return last year, as well as 21 on kick runbacks. As for returners, Christian Kirk ran back punts at a nearly eight-yard pace and holds down that job again this year. Second-round rookie Andy Isabella is the new kick returner. The 62nd overall pick from Massachusetts, Isabella set many school records as a wide receiver. He has sure hands, ranking second in the country with 102 receptions during his senior season.
—If nothing else, Sunday’s game in Baltimore will feature two of the NFL’s best punters in Baltimore’s Sam Koch and Arizona’s Andy Lee. Lee has been invited to three Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams and is sixth in all-time gross average while ranking fifth in coffin-corner kicks (404). Last year, Lee led the league in gross average for a second time, averaging 48.6 yards per punt. Like a lot of punters, including Koch, Lee is the holder on placekicks.
—Placekicker Zane Gonzalez, a three-year veteran from Arizona State, was 4-for-4 on field goals in the opener, the last one preserving the overtime tie. He began his career in 2017 with the Cleveland Browns, but was cut loose early in the 2018 campaign after missing three of five kicks, including one that would have won a game in New Orleans. He also missed two extra points with the Browns. Once he came to the Cardinals, he finished 2018 by converting seven of nine field-goal tries and five of six conversions.
Prediction
The offensive “revolution” the Ravens’ coaching staff has been talking about involves a simple concept: start fast and never let up. That sounds basic, but it’s something the Ravens haven’t done very often in franchise history.
The team’s youth and speed overwhelmed Miami on the road last week, and it will likely do the same in front of a boisterous crowd at the home opener. There probably won’t be many records set again, but rookie quarterbacks have won just twice in Baltimore since the Ravens were born, and only once at M&T Bank Stadium.
So there’s nothing to suggest that the Cardinals have nearly enough firepower to challenge the Ravens. Kyler Murray should get a true “Welcome To The NFL” come Sunday.
Baltimore 30, Arizona 10
