The Arizona Cardinals will look to rebound against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Here’s some of the latest updates:
Stanton suffers too many ‘breakdowns’
In last week’s loss to the Falcons Sunday, backup quarterback Drew Stanton had some issues.
ESPN football analyst Ron Jaworski, a former quarterback himself, said he was never convinced Stanton could keep the Cardinals afloat after Carson Palmer went down.
“We’ve known this all along: When Carson Palmer went down, this offense would become very pedestrian, and it has been since,” Jaworski said, via ArizonaSports.com.
He added: “Bruce (Arians) tried to sell everyone real hard that Drew Stanton could lead them to the Super Bowl. Well, it was a good sales job, but I told you three weeks ago I wasn’t buying it. This team was going to have to win other than the quarterback making plays. Yeah, (Stanton) made some plays, but not enough where this team is going to challenge to go deep in the playoffs.”
Jaworski said he saw issues with how Stanton was playing against Atlanta.
“I saw some mechanical breakdowns in the game (against Atlanta), which always bother me -- when you feel pressure and start drifting back, when you’re not staying on your back leg and driving the football, when you’re not finishing your throws because you sense defensive linemen around you,” he added.
“Those are the little things that bother me about quarterbacks. The one thing you have to do is be tough. You’ve got to hang in the pocket; you’re going to get hit if you complete it or not, and you'd better make sure you complete it.
Ellington out
RB Andre Ellington will be out against the Chiefs with a hip injury.
He’s also suffering from a nagging foot injury that has bothered him since the beginning of the season.
Stepfan Taylor, Marion Grice, and fullback Robert Hughes will see more playing time, coach Bruce Arians told ESPN.
“We’re just going to play it by ear,” Arians said. “Each guy’s got a little package for this one. There’s always a surprise here and there.”
Fitzgerald could play
It’s still unclear if WR Larry Fitzgerald will play against the Chiefs.
He’s been out with a sprained left MCL, and Arians said the decision for him to play will be made right before the game, according to ESPN.
“He’s practiced all week,” Arians said. “He’s gotten better each day, but he’s still not 100 percent.”
Fitzgerald, however, said he is “highly likely” to play. But he said the same thing last week, according to AzCardinals.com.
“This team has proven all year they can win despite the lineups, who is in there, who isn’t in there,” Fitzgerald added. “It’s a resilient ballclub and we have shown that. We have hit some adversity over the last two weeks but what football team doesn’t?”
