Cardinals Stumble Out of the Gate in Houston, Lose Bam Knight to Injury in Tough First Quarter
The Arizona Cardinals couldn’t have scripted a rougher opening to their Week 15 clash with the Houston Texans. By the end of the first quarter, they were staring down a 17-0 deficit, had coughed up a costly turnover, and lost a key piece of their backfield in running back Bam Knight, who was carted off the field with an ankle injury.
Knight, just 24 years old and in his third NFL season, went down early and was quickly ruled questionable to return. According to the team, the injury is to his ankle, and he’ll be further evaluated before any determination is made on his status moving forward. It’s a tough blow for a player who’s been fighting to carve out a role in a backfield that’s already seen its fair share of changes this season.
With Knight sidelined, the Cardinals will turn to Emari Demercado and Michael Carter to shoulder the rushing load. Rookie Corey Kiner could also see some snaps as the team looks for answers in the ground game. None of them offer quite the same combination of burst and versatility as Knight, but this group will need to step up - and fast - if Arizona wants to stop the bleeding.
The injury only added to what was already a brutal start for the Cardinals. Houston struck first - and fast - when rookie quarterback C.J.
Stroud launched a 57-yard touchdown strike to wideout Nico Collins less than a minute into the game. The Cardinals defense looked caught off guard, and Stroud wasted no time taking advantage.
Things went from bad to worse on the ensuing kickoff. Arizona mishandled the return, and the Texans pounced, forcing and recovering a fumble to set themselves up deep in Cardinals territory. Just like that, Houston was back in business, and Arizona was reeling.
NICO COLLINS STARTS THE SCORING TODAY IN LESS THAN A MINUTE FOR THE TEXANS 🤯pic.twitter.com/LIIHlVJ5zO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 14, 2025
By the time the first quarter ended, the scoreboard read 17-0 in favor of the Texans, and the Cardinals had yet to find any rhythm on either side of the ball. It was a worst-case scenario kind of start - the kind that makes you wonder if the team ever got off the bus.
At 3-10, the Cardinals are well out of the playoff picture, but that doesn’t mean they’re playing without purpose. Pride, development, and evaluation are all on the line in these final weeks. But if Sunday’s opening quarter was any indication, there’s still a long way to go before this team finds the consistency and toughness it needs to compete wire-to-wire.
The Texans follow up the early TD with a forced fumble recovery on the kickoff 🤯pic.twitter.com/mKZyHRfEtM https://t.co/OjTTEpEUWz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 14, 2025
There’s still time left in this one, but the Cardinals will need to regroup quickly - and hope Knight’s injury isn’t as serious as it looked - if they want to avoid another long afternoon.