The Arizona Cardinals left MetLife Stadium with a 26-24 loss to the New York Giants, and the final score only tells part of the story. This one swung hard in both directions, with stretches where Arizona looked sharp enough to beat anyone and others where the mistakes piled up fast enough to sink them.
The biggest bright spot came on the ground. First-round rookie Jeremiyah Love put together a strong performance, finishing with 63 yards and averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
He has been steady through the first three weeks of the season, but this game also showed a higher ceiling. Free agent addition Tyler Allgeier added to that with his best moment coming on a 22-yard rushing touchdown, and if both backs keep trending up, Arizona could have a serious one-two punch.
That run game made the Cardinals’ choice to move away from it even harder to understand. Arizona jumped out to a 14-6 lead and had both the running and passing game working early.
But once the Cardinals got away from the ground attack, the offense lost its balance. Mike LaFleur stuck with the pass late, including four straight passing plays with the game on the line, even though Arizona was averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
The quarterback play was also shaped by the mess in front of Jacoby Brissett. Two of his three interceptions came after the offensive line gave up pressure too quickly, and Giants rookie linebacker/edge-rusher hybrid Arvell Reese caused real problems.
Brissett drew his share of frustration, but the protection issues were impossible to ignore. For a team already searching for answers, that side of the ball remains a major concern.
Arizona’s secondary had its own rough afternoon. Jameis Winston entered the game without a passing touchdown this season, then threw for 250 yards and three scores against the Cardinals.
Malik Nabers did damage too, finishing with 112 yards on six catches and a touchdown. With Will Johnson out for the season, the Cardinals still need a better answer for top wideouts, even if there are schematic ways to keep a receiver like Nabers from taking over.
There were a few defensive plays worth noting. Budda Baker picked off a pass and added a strong breakup, while Denzel Burke also came away with an interception. But those flashes weren’t enough to cover for the bigger issues.
Now Arizona has to turn around and deal with another difficult matchup, this time against the methodical Detroit Lions offense next week. After a frustrating loss built on turnovers, pass protection problems and uneven coaching decisions, the Cardinals have plenty to clean up in a hurry.
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The Colts interest carries extra intrigue because their ability to put together a deal is constrained by limited draft capital after past trades, which makes any real movement harder to engineer. Even so, the fact that Harrisons name is circulating at all is enough to keep Arizona followers on edge, and it leaves one of the leagues most closely watched wideout stories hanging in a tense spot. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Catch Lions Defense At A Tense Time
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For the Cardinals, that makes this a familiar kind of opponent-facing wrinkle to monitor, especially when a contender is trying to steady itself without overreacting to one bad result. Campbells message was less about a quick fix than a broader standard, with mediocrity off the table and improvement needed across every phase, which leaves Detroit carrying both the urgency and the uncertainty into the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiyah Love's Hot Start Comes With One Big Cardinals Question
Dane Brugler of The Athletic put together an early 2026 NFL All-Rookie Team after the first four games of the season, and it was enough to get Arizona rookie running back Jeremiyah Love some well-earned attention. Love was listed as the starting running back on the team, a nod to the way he has opened his pro career by leading all rookies in rushing yards and receptions out of the backfield.
For the Cardinals, the praise is encouraging but still comes with a reminder of how quickly these early-season judgments can shift. Bruglers list is built on a small sample, and Loves start has certainly been loud, but the bigger question is how long he can keep this pace going once defenses adjust and the season settles into its grind. [Read more 🡒]