It seems like a long time ago that the Arizona Cardinals were atop the NFL in offensive third-down conversions, tied for third on the defensive side of that stat and sixth in average time of possession.
However, it was only a month, which in the NFL can sometimes feel like a lifetime even though it goes by in a flash.
After the first two games of the season, the Cardinals were 14-for-24 on third down (58.3 percent), 5-for-20 (25.0 percent) defensively and averaged 33:12 in time of possession. Four teams averaged only 11, 23, 30 and 46 more seconds and were ahead of them.
In the 41-10 Week 2 victory over the Rams, the Cardinals were 7-for-11 on third down with one of the failures in their final possession, the Rams were 2-for-11 with one of the successes in their final possession and the Cardinals had a whopping 36:54 time of possession.
Quarterback Kyler Murray was 11-for-11 on third down in the first two games for 144 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a Balzer Adjusted Passer Rating of 217.9. His official passer rating of 158.3 was tops in the league.
Following that game, Murray said the third-down success was “huge” and added, “It goes back to practice and the guys being prepared. Obviously, we’re coached well. Understanding what the defense could bring, possibly bring and try to do us, and just executing the third-down game plan. Sometimes with my legs, being able to create; that’s a big part of staying on the field. I think it’s demoralizing for defenses when you can continue to have long drives and stay on the field.”
In the first two games, only three possessions in each lasted less than three minutes.
Fast forward to today and all those numbers have plummeted, making it a major reason why the Cardinals have lost three of the four games with two being by 28 and 21 points.
Consider those last four games:
The offense:
The Cardinals are 12-for-40 (30.0 percent) on third down and six of the successes on six attempts came in the fourth quarter of those blowout losses to the Commanders and Packers. That makes them 6-for-34 without those six (17.6 percent). They were 1-for-9 against Detroit, 4-for-11 against Washington (1-for-8 before the three late conversions), 3-for-10 against the 49ers and 4-for-10 against Packers (1-for-7 before the three late successes).
Twenty-nine possessions lasted 2:43 or less time of possession, 19 of which lasted less than two minutes. The total plays were 124, which is 4.3 per possession.
The defense:
The Cardinals have allowed 28-of-47 conversions (59.6 percent) with Detroit 6-for-12, Washington 9-for-12, San Francisco 6-for-11 and Green Bay 7-for-12.
Time of possession:
It was a dismal 23:11 against Detroit, 26:38 against Washington, 27:02 against San Francisco and 23:25 against Green Bay.
Kyler Murray
Shockingly, he is 11-for-26 (42.3 percent) in the four games for a mere 79 yards (7.2 per completion and 3.0 per attempt) with no touchdowns or interceptions and a passer rating of 50.0. For the season, he’s now 22-for-37 for 223 yards and a passer rating of 94.8, which ranks 14th in the NFL.
Twelve players have third-down ratings of 100 or higher and four have interceptions. The passer-rating system severely penalizes players for interceptions and without any, that has kept Murray’s rating in the middle of the pack.
Overall, the Cardinals now rank tied for 17th on third-down offense (26-64, 40.6 percent), last on defense (33-for-67, 49.3 percent) and 29th in time of possession with an average of 27:47, which is seven seconds more than Dallas. That obviously means the defense has been on the field more than all but three teams in the NFL.
When Murray and head coach Jonathan Gannon were asked about the third-down woes Thursday, they gave predictable answers.
Murray said it’s all about “attention to detail. Not only me, but everybody. It starts with me, but we’ll be better. I’m confident in that. You’ve seen that we can do it, so we just have to lock in and be better on third down and execute. That’s what it comes down to.”
Said Gannon, “You’re playing different teams (with) a different game flow. First and second down are different in those first two (games) than the last four. On both sides of the ball, I think staying ahead of the sticks is so critical, and then we have to put together good plans and execute at a high level.”
Wide receiver Zay Jones, who hasn’t played in a game yet, was asked Thursday about the issues on third down.
He said succinctly it’s simple execution.
Jones is right about the second part. It’s mostly execution. But it sure isn’t simple, which has been obvious in the last month.
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