The Arizona Cardinals’ 33-30 comeback over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 came with a hidden layer of toughness, and Michael Wilson was right at the center of it.
Wilson briefly disappeared from the game at AT&T Stadium, then came back after halftime and kept grinding through obvious pain as Arizona clawed its way to an incredible upset. The reason for that pain was more severe than anyone knew in the moment: Wilson said he was playing with two broken ribs.
Michael Wilson just told me and @joshweinfuss that he has two broken ribs. Says he’s playing through “a lot” of pain.“
This organization’s paying me a lot of money. So if I can muster up the strength to go play, even at 60%, I’m going to.”
"Pain is temporary, glory is forever. I'll take the rib pain for a win for the Arizona Cardinals," he added (h/t Zach Gershman of AZCardinals.com).
The injury likely happened when Wilson went up for a deep ball early in the game, came down hard, and missed the catch in the second quarter. He headed to the blue medical tent after getting up in visible discomfort.
Even with that setback, Wilson delivered one of the biggest performances of the afternoon. He finished with eight catches for 111 yards and tied the game with six seconds left. He also chipped in a 17-yard run in overtime that helped set up the Cardinals for the game-winning field goal.
"He's a stud. He's everything you want," LaFleur said of Wilson post-game. "... but if you guys knew how much pain that Mike was in, and to go out there and do what he did and just continue to battle and have that big run on the third-and-one, proud of him."
Wilson had been under plenty of scrutiny in recent weeks because of his production, especially after the Cardinals dealt Marvin Harrison Jr. But in this one, the Stanford product answered with a performance Arizona needed.
"Making huge plays. Like when we needed it, he was our guy. Just absolutely playing through it," Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew said of Wilson after the win.
"Like he's so tough. Like especially for a guy from Stanford, he's so tough.
I tell him that. But no, I'm super happy for Mike and man, that was awesome.
I was fortunate to have a lot of reps this offseason with him, knowing how he fights for the ball, knowing how he can win at the top of routes. Knowing he's going to be in the right place.
You feel good every time you have a one-on-one to him."
In Other News...
Cardinals Defense Carried Arizona In OT And A Few Names Stand Out
Arizonas 33-30 overtime win over Dallas had plenty of offense attached to it, but the defensive side of the ledger deserves its own look. Twenty players saw snaps on defense, and the Cardinals leaned on a broad group to survive a game that kept swinging back and forth. The snap counts tell part of the story, but the bigger takeaway was how many different defenders had a hand in keeping the Cowboys from finishing the job.
Among the names that stood out were L.J. Collier, Dante Stills, Mack Wilson Sr., Josh Sweat, Budda Baker and Andrew Wingard, with each showing up in the box score in some way through tackles, pressure or pass defense. Colliers night was especially eventful, and Sweat was right in the middle of the late-game push when Arizona needed one more stop to stay alive. For a defense that was on the field so often, the mix of production and resilience was enough to tilt overtime in the Cardinals favor. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Backfield Suddenly Looks Like A Survival Test
Arizona entered training camp feeling good about its running back depth, but the picture has thinned fast, leaving the backfield looking far more fragile than anyone expected. Tyler Allgeier was the lone healthy runner available in the recent game against the Dallas Cowboys, and he made the most of the opportunity with a strong showing while the rest of the room dealt with injuries.
The Cardinals now have to piece together the position for the weeks ahead, with Evan Hull suddenly in line for a much larger role if the roster stays as is. The team is also weighing whether to move one of its young backs to injured reserve so he can fully recover, a decision that would clarify the depth chart but also underline just how quickly a promising group turned into a survival test. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Still Have A Real Opening In The NFC Race
After eight weeks, the NFC picture still has enough clutter to keep Arizona in the conversation. The Cardinals sit at 3-5, but the conference standings remain tight enough that a handful of teams are still bunched around the cut line, with the current playoff field and the next group of challengers all trying to separate themselves in November.
Arizonas path is still narrow, but it is there, and the next round of NFC games should help clarify who is really in position to make a run. For a team trying to climb back into the mix, the margin for error is already thin, and every result around the conference matters as much as what the Cardinals do themselves. [Read more 🡒]