The Cardinals’ offense keeps banging its head against the same wall, and the numbers from Sunday made the problem impossible to ignore.
In a 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos, Arizona again struggled to finish drives, scoring on only one of five red-zone trips. The Cardinals also went just 5-for-17 on third down, and Jacoby Brissett was sacked three times as the pressure kept piling up. He finished with 48 pass attempts, 75 total plays, 272 passing yards and one touchdown pass, but the production came more from volume than efficiency.
That’s why rookie quarterback Carson Beck has become part of the conversation. Cardinals fans know it, and the argument for giving him a shot isn’t framed as some outlandish idea. It’s rooted in what the offense is missing right now: movement, unpredictability and a little more juice when the defense starts pinning its ears back.
Brissett’s game is steady, but it also leaves defenses with a clear path to attack on passing downs. Beck’s mobility changes that equation, at least in theory, because he can evade pressure in a way Brissett simply doesn’t. The Cardinals have enough evidence by now that sticking with the current setup isn’t producing a different result.
Head coach Mike LaFleur continues to roll with Brissett, even though the offense hasn’t shown much to justify standing pat. The Cardinals did beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6, but that win came thanks to the defense, not because the offense found its footing.
Brissett is serviceable, but the source of the frustration is that his ceiling doesn’t appear to be much higher than Beck’s or reserve quarterback Gardner Minshew’s. For an offense that has been underwhelming far too often, that makes the case for change hard to ignore. Beck may be the fresh option the Cardinals need to inject some life into a season that has already started on a disappointing note.
In Other News...
Cardinals QB Debate Just Got Harder To Ignore
Mike LaFleur made it clear the Cardinals are sticking with Jacoby Brissett for now, confirming the veteran will start against the Cowboys as Arizona tries to steady an offense that has been moving the ball without finishing enough drives. LaFleur said the issue is less about getting into scoring position and more about what happens once the Cardinals get there, a distinction that has become harder to ignore as the season has worn on.
The pressure around the quarterback spot has only grown with fan noise pushing rookie Carson Beck into the conversation, but LaFleur said there have been no talks about benching Brissett. For now, Arizona is choosing continuity over change, even as the red-zone frustration lingers and the offense keeps leaving points on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Beck Timeline Just Became A Real Cardinals Debate
The rookie quarterback class has been slow to arrive in the NFL, but Carson Becks path is starting to look a lot more relevant for Arizona as the season moves deeper into the second half. Through Week 7, most of the quarterbacks taken in the draft still have not started a game, and that kind of delay tends to sharpen the focus on teams like the Cardinals, where every week without a clear answer under center makes the next move feel more important.
Arizona sits 2-5, and the longer the offense stays in limbo, the more Beck becomes part of the conversation around the franchises future. Jacoby Brissett has helped stabilize the position enough to keep the Cardinals afloat, but there is still no long-term answer in place, which is why the timeline on Beck is now being watched so closely around the building. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Keep Facing The Same Offensive Question As Pressure Builds
The Cardinals are still sorting through the same offensive questions that have followed them through the last stretch, and the pressure is only getting louder as the season moves on. Mike LaFleur made it clear Jacoby Brissett remains the starter, a decision that keeps the focus on a group trying to find cleaner execution and better finishing when it matters most.
Arizonas recent struggles have not been pinned on one player alone, and that is part of what makes the situation so tricky. The offense has had chances to turn drives into something more meaningful, but the conversation around the unit keeps circling back to the same issue: enough movement to threaten, not enough payoff to relieve the strain that comes with each passing week. [Read more 🡒]