The Arizona Cardinals had perhaps the upset of the week in their 24-10 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was their first road win of the season and first road win since Week 10 of last season.
It was their first win over the Steelers since 2007 and first in Pittsburgh since 1969.
What can we take away from the win on Sunday?
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They protected the ball
While there were a couple of fumbles, the Cardinals did not turn the ball over. “The ball is the game,” said head coach Jonathan Gannon. They needed to not let the Steelers force turnovers, and they didn’t.
Since Kyler Murray’s return, they have protected the football.
The Cardinals turned the ball over 10 times in the five games prior to Murray’s return. Since then, they have turned the ball over twice and they have not in the last two games.
The passing game was all about the tight end
A lot has been said about Trey McBride’s performance on Sunday. He had eight receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown.
But the passing game was all about the tight end.
Kyler Murray completed 13 passes on the afternoon. Eleven of Murray’s completions went to tight ends. In addition to McBride’s eight catches, Geoff Swaim added two and Elijah Higgins had one.
The Cardinals capitalized on takeaways
The Cardinals won by 14 points. The margin of their win came from turning turnovers into touchdowns.
After stuffing the Steelers on fourth down at the goalline, they put together a 15-play, 99-yard touchdown drive.
After recovering Mitch Trubisky’s fumble, they scored a touchdown.
The Cardinals missed on several opportunities like that earlier in the season.
The defense locked down Pittsburgh's bad offense
Yes, the Steelers have struggled on offense. Yes, their starting quarterback got hurt.
However, Arizona’s defensive struggles are well known.
When the Steelers picked up 65 yards on their first drive, kicking a field goal to take a 3-0 lead, it looked like it would be more of the same.
It wasn’t. The Steelers finished with only 317 yards. They only allowed 252 yards after that initial drive and 177 until the Steelers put together a 75-yard drive after the Cardinals had a three-score lead.
They stuck with the run game
The Cardinals gave up on the run game against the Rams.
They didn’t against the Steelers.
Yes, they did have a lead, making it easier, but James Conner got 25 carries and they had 38 as a team, 35 before Kyler Murray’s kneeldowns to end the game.
They were great on third down
The Cardinals went 10-for-17 on third down. Entering the week, they were one of the worst teams on third down in the league.
It was the first time they had 10 third-down conversions since 2016.
They ended a few streaks
It was the Cardinals’ first road win of the season.
It was their first road win since Week 10 last season.
It was their first win over the Steelers since 2007.
It was their first win in Pittsburgh since 1969.
