The Arizona Cardinals trailed the Philadelphia Eagles 21-6 at halftime in Week 17. That was probably something most would have expected. However, the score did not tell the story of the first half.
The Cardinals really dominated the first half but mistakes were the problem.
They possessed the ball for 21:48 of the 30 minutes of the first half, outgained the Eagles 179 yards to 152 and converted on half of their third downs.
They made it to the red zone three times.
However, those three drives ended twice with field goals and once with an interception returned for a touchdown.
The Cardinals got inside the five on their first drive. Kyler Murray was tackled for a negative run and Emari Demercado dropped a third-down pass, leading to the field goal.
On their second drive, Murray was picked off by Sydney Brown, who returned the interception 99 yards from the one for a touchdown.
On that play, Murray signaled something to receiver Michael Wilson before the play. Wilson got off the line of scrimmage slowly and then, once Murray had started to throw the ball, took his route to the inside. Murray expected him to run toward the left pylon at the goalline.
The only player there was Brown, who picked it off and scored.
On the Cardinals’ third drive, D.J. Humphries was flagged for a false start on third down, giving them a third-and-12. They had to settle for three points.
The offense was very good but red-zone mistakes plagued them.
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