“It’s a hard one to get past,” Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said when speaking about Sunday’s 19-16 overtime loss to the Bills at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Despite their second straight loss, Whisenhunt saw some positives come out of the game.
“I thought defensively we played a good game against an opponent that has a lot of weapons,” Whisenhunt said. “Special teams wise, we did a lot of good things, even offensively.”
Running back LaRod Stephens-Howling had 22 of the team’s season-high 182 yards rushing on Sunday.
Stephens-Howling says it’s time to move on past the loss and start to focus on their next opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.
“We still have to watch this film and fix what we need to get right for next week,” Stephens-Howling said. “After we finish these meetings, we need to get past it.”
Kicker Jay Feely missed a 38-yard field goal with two seconds left that would’ve been the game winner.
Stephens-Howling says no one in the locker room is placing any blame on Feely for the loss.
“In this locker room, we know that there are a lot of different situations that could’ve went our way, and plays we didn’t make that didn’t make the game go our way,” Stephens-Howling said.
Guard Daryn Colledge has “short memory,” because he knows the Vikings are very tough at Mall of America Field.
Colledge knows if the team doesn’t switch it’s focus to the task at hand – exacting revenge on the Vikings who beat them soundly there last year, 34-10 – then they could be headed toward a third straight loss.
“We would’ve loved to have gotten the win last night, but we need to move on to this team,” Colledge said.
Speaking of revenge, linebacker Daryl Washington is seeking some on Minnesota as well.
Last year’s loss came on Washington’s birthday, which was a not-so-nice present for him.
“We owe those guys, so we need to go in there and get a win,” Washington said. “I take it more serious than these other guys. Minnesota’s a good team. We’re going to go up there and try to play our best game.”
