At this point, the Cardinals are at the bottom of the NFC West with a 3-6 record, far below their expectations and a far cry from their 8-1 record a year ago.
Despite that regression, general manager Steve Keim has taken responsibility for it.
As Steve Keim said Friday on Arizona Sports Burns & Gambo, “I bear a lot of responsibility.” “I think when you’re in this position you have to own where the mistakes come from.” When you have a successful organization, which I think we do, and you have a positive culture — you know — this is the time of year with this record that you start pointing fingers, and to me that’s not the kind of organization we want to have. I certainly own it. It’s a roster that I put together. You hope that roster becomes a team at some point that plays in unison, and we have not done a good enough job yet. So I certainly own that.”
Nevertheless, he expressed full confidence in coach Kliff Kingsbury and the players to find a solution before Arizona’s season ends.
“I have faith in the guys and the team, in our coaching staff, and I am confident we can turn this thing around,” Keim said.
It is imperative that the Cardinals show fight — if not results — down the stretch after signing their general manager and head coach to extensions through 2027.
Kyler Murray’s five-year, $230 million contract signed in July naturally puts him in the spotlight.
He is currently on pace for 680 passing attempts, 122 more than his career high, but he is less efficient on those attempts. He has a career low passer rating (86.9), adjusted yards per attempt (5.9), and touchdown percentage (3.3).
Despite that, the Cardinals’ struggles are more due to a perfect storm than a franchise quarterback not playing to his potential.
As a result of DeAndre Hopkins‘ six-game suspension and long-term injuries to James Conner and Marquise Brown, the Cardinals offense has been struggling. Arizona has dropped from 11th in points allowed in 2021 to 31st in points and 27th in yards this season. It has been penalized 64 times through nine weeks, which makes it the third-most penalized team in the league.
Despite our best efforts, we haven’t executed it well enough,” Keim said Friday. “I’m not sure why, but it’s something we’re working on every day, and it’s at the top of our list.”
Keim, Kingsbury, and the Cardinals have eight games to tighten up and make a run, or they’ll be left with more questions than answers come January.
Kim said that you have to trust your gut and follow your instincts. “I trust Kliff Kingsbury. I think he is an excellent football coach and a talented play caller.