Before Sundays game, there were those who wondered (fairly) if the Cardinals were pretenders or contenders. Pittsburgh was the first team with a winning record that the Cardinals had faced. It looked like a mismatch from the start, but as the game progressed it was very evident that the Steelers were on equal footing with the Cardinals even with their third string quarterback.
Crunch time with Palmer
-Late in the game Carson Palmer locked onto John Brown and didn’t see Steelers safety Mike Mitchell playing centerfield. The result was a costly pick late in the game. While Palmer filled the stat sheet (414 yards), he also threw 2 interceptions.
Flag-fest
-Penalties were the story of the game. While the Cardinals were upset with the refs, the scoreboard didn’t lie. 111 yards (5 personal fouls) will get you beat every time.
Failure to capitalize
-Facts are, the Cardinals should’ve won this game in the first half. They had more than a few opportunities to put this game away early. But, as we’ve seen around the NFL, when you let a team hang around, they start to believe. The Cardinals rushed for only 55 yards and finished with 469 total yards.
Dwight Freeney debut
-Signed this week, Freeney was on the field for a handful of plays but didn’t make it onto the stat sheet. Not exactly what the Cardinals hoped for when they signed him this week.
Landry Jones
-Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley opened the playbook past page 2 and let quarterback Landry Jones take some shots down field. It was Jones first action in a Steelers uniform and he led the Pittsburgh offense on five scoring drives in the second half, including a simple slant route to Bryant that ended up going the distance.
Up next, home next Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
