The Arizona Cardinals, off to a dismal 0-2 start in the Steve Wilks coaching era, have more questions than they have points through two games this season.
Wilks’ team was outscored 58-6 by the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams after the Rams routed the Cardinals 34-0 Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Arizona crossed midfield only once and that happened with 30 seconds left to play. The Cardinals’ five first downs ties their fewest in a game since 1950. They allowed 354 passing yards to Jared Goff and three rushing touchdowns by Todd Gurley.
“Tough times and turmoil, you really find out who you are and what kind of men we have in this locker room,” Cardinals right guard Justin Pugh told the Arizona Republic. “And we’re going to find out. You go 0-2 with two really bad losses, there’s no hiding behind anything. We got our asses kicked, so we’ve got to go to ground zero and start building this thing back up.”
Burning hotter than Phoenix sun this week is the question of whether Wilks will continue use veteran quarterback Sam Bradford or turn to rookie first-round draft pick Josh Rosen. Bradford completed 17 of 27 pass attempts Sunday for only 90 yards.
His longest completion was a 15-yard pass in the second quarter to Larry Fitzgerald, who aggravated a hamstring injury and missed the entire fourth quarter.
“We have to evaluate everything, and when you look at the situation in all three phases, that’s what we’re going to do,” Wilks said. “I’m not going to sit here and jump to conclusions right now, right after the game. We’re going to go back and evaluate the film, look at personnel … and come up with the best game plan.”
A reporter than asked if that evaluation opens the door for Rosen to take over Sunday when the Cardinals host the Chicago Bears?
“Again, I’m not going to sit here and say right after the game what we’re going to do from a personnel standpoint,” Wilks said. “But I will say this: Everybody will be evaluated.”
Bradford told reporters that “a lot of things need to improve for us.”
“I wish that there was one thing that I could tell you that if we got that fixed, that it would be instantly better,” Bradford said. “This is two weeks in a row where we’ve let the defense down, and I think we all understand that we have to play better.”
–WR Larry Fitzgerald said he could have “managed my through” playing through tightness in his hamstring Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams. He sat out the fourth quarter for precautionary reasons. He should be ready to play Sunday against the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday.
–RB David Johnson had 13 rushes for 48 yards against the Rams and was targeted only twice in the passing game, with one catch for three yards.
–QB Sam Bradford passed for only 90 yards against the Rams, creating more of a buzz from fans to use rookie quarterback Josh Rosen. Bradford completed 17 of 27 passes and manufactured only five first downs the entire game.
–CB Patrick Peterson tied for the team high with eight tackles and also had his first interception this season on Sunday.
–LB Gerald Hodges started the game in place of Deone Bucannon. The Cardinals were hoping to improve against the run. The Rams averaged only 2.7 yards per carry after the Washington Redskins pounded the Cardinals in the opener.
