The Cardinals left New York with a loss, but the play that turned the game came long before the final score settled at 36-24 in favor of the Giants.
Late in the third quarter, Arizona had just stopped New York on third down and both teams sent out their field goal units. Dominic Zvada drilled a kick to trim the Cardinals’ deficit to 24-22, and then the flag hit the turf. Dante Stills was whistled for holding, giving the Giants a fresh set of downs and flipping the sequence on its head.
That call drew confusion everywhere from the broadcast booth to Mike LaFleur on the sideline. Two plays later, Jameis Winston found Theo Johnson for a touchdown, and the Cardinals were suddenly chasing again.
On replay, the flag looked extremely soft. Stills never seemed to have much of a grip on the Giants’ blocker, and it was hard to see how the play rose to the level of something that could swing a game.
But it did. Instead of Arizona being up by two, New York was back in business, and the Cardinals went into the next possession down three.
That changed the math on the final drive, forcing Arizona to chase a touchdown to tie and an extra point to win instead of needing a field goal for a potential victory.
Penalties have been a problem for Arizona, and that remained part of the conversation even though the Cardinals entered Week 4 as one of the league’s most penalized teams. They were cleaner against the Giants, finishing with seven penalties for 55 yards, but the costly mistakes came at the worst possible moments.
“You have to focus in on it. Like I told you guys two weeks ago, sometimes you speak it into existence.
I don’t think we’ve done that. We know it needs to get done," LaFleur said during the week.
"We’re professionals - coaches and players and we’re in it with them, but that certainly is an aspect that has to get cleaned up because whether it was the pre-snap operation on that fourth drive or the holding on the first and second drive, it killed us."
Arizona is now 1-3 and heads into Week 5 against the Detroit Lions.
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What makes it worth watching is that Sweat reportedly wants an updated contract, even as trade interest is expected to build if Arizona decides to listen. He has also made it clear he wants to stay with the Cardinals, which gives the front office a choice between keeping a pass rusher it already invested in or testing whether theres a better long-term fit before the deadline closes the door. [Read more 🡒]