Cardinals Offense Faces Immediate Heat After First Post-Brissett Letdown

In the wake of a disappointing first start for Gardner Minshew and a tough loss to Seattle, Cardinals' head coach Mike LaFleur issues a call for an improved offensive strategy.

The Cardinals didn’t get the response they wanted in Gardner Minshew’s first game of 2026, and head coach Mike LaFleur didn’t sugarcoat it afterward.

Arizona dropped a 17-3 decision to the Seattle Seahawks, a game that looked nothing like Minshew’s fourth-quarter spark the week before against the Dallas Cowboys. LaFleur said the offense simply didn’t settle in the way it needed to in a tough road setting.

“I know we can operate better than we did today,” LaFleur told reporters. “The whole point of offensive football is to go up there and everyone is calm.

It's already a tough enough environment here [Seattle]. But we need to make the most of it, and we certainly did not.”

Minshew finished 21 of 30 for 166 yards, but Arizona never found the end zone through the air. The Cardinals were forced to settle for field goal attempts, and Minshew was also sacked three times.

The passing game leaned on Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, though neither turned volume into big yardage. Wilson led Arizona with six catches for 60 yards, while McBride hauled in seven passes for 54 yards. On the ground, Tyler Allgeier carried 17 times for 46 yards, with his longest run going for 17.

With the offense stalled, Arizona had to hang around by leaning on its defense against the defending Super Bowl champs. Seattle finished with 295 total yards, including 175 passing yards from Drew Lock.

The Seahawks did most of their damage on the ground, piling up 120 rushing yards. Neither team committed a turnover.

The loss drops Arizona to 3-6 overall.

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