The Arizona Cardinals failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to take first place in the NFC West in their 20-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium.
Defensively, the Cardinals played well and gave their offense plenty of chances to take control of the game. The offensive struggles came against a decimated Rams secondary (outside of Jalen Ramsey).
With that said, let’s take a look at this week’s studs and duds list.
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STUD: WR Hollywood Brown
Overshadowed by the offensive woes from the rest of the team was Hollywood Brown’s remarkable game.
Arizona’s big-ticket acquisition from this past offseason had 14 receptions for 140 yards, many of which came against All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Hollywood has shown flashes through two weeks, but it was a very comforting sign to see him show out against a division rival.
The offensive firepower when DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore return, paired with Hollywood, could be special.
DUD: WR Andy Isabella
The 2019 second-round pick finally found some playing time in this matchup due to the injury to A.J. Green.
While we did have a nice first down catch in the fourth quarter, he didn’t do much else and had a costly mistake in the red zone. Isabella, who looked to have a step on his defender, stopped running his route on a third down play, which resulted in another field goal attempt.
It’s unfortunate for Isabella, who appears to be running out of opportunities in the desert.
STUD: CB Byron Murphy
For the second straight week, Byron Murphy makes this list.
Murphy’s name wasn’t mentioned at all in this game and that’s exactly what you want from your No. 1 cornerback. Cooper Kupp was held to 44 yards receiving with Murphy primarily focused on him.
It’s a positive development for Murphy and the Cardinals, as they’ve been searching for a true No. 1 cornerback since the departure of Patrick Peterson in 2020. It would be nice to have a homegrown talent like Murphy to continue to ascend.
DUD; LB Zaven Collins
Collins played a solid game early until a complete collapse in the third quarter.
On a third-and-11, Collins was unable to bring down Matthew Stafford on what would have changed the outlook of the game. The drive then led to a backbreaking touchdown by the Rams.
The rushing touchdown on that drive was a Cam Akers run, where Collins failed to get by WR Ben Skowronek and ultimately created a huge running lane. He was then hurt on that play and did not return to the game.
DUD: TE Zach Ertz
It isn’t often that a player like Ertz makes this list and I imagine he won’t again.
Ertz said himself that he played poorly and will be better moving forward and it’s safe to assume he will. However, he did have two key drops in the red zone.
The most important was an end-zone pass that was a bit high from Murray, but one that Ertz would tell you he needs to come down with. It was mistakes like that that that led to field goals all day, which buried the Cards.
Ertz finished the day with 45 receiving yards and will look to bounce back against the Panthers.
