THE STORY: As coach Jonathan Gannon and Jacoby Brissett walked off the field, the two shared the same thought.
"At some point," the quarterback said, "something is going to go our way."
Sunday wasn't that day, after the Cardinals (3-8) fell 27-24 to the Jaguars (7-4) in an overtime defeat at State Farm Stadium.
Just days after Gannon urged his players to get off the mat following the two recent losses, there was satisfaction in the team's fight. They took a couple of shots from Jacksonville, but it was the Cardinals defense that continued to swing back.
Arizona won the takeaway battle. A strip-sack, caused by safety Jalen Thompson and recovered by Walter Nolen III for a touchdown set the tone early. It was the first of four takeaways by the Cardinals defense. Cornerback Garrett Williams and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither each had interceptions.
"We trusted the plan, and we trusted each other," Williams said. "We have been putting an emphasis on capitalizing on the ball. We've seen the last couple of weeks, it comes in bunches."
Budda Baker had a fourth quarter interception which set up a 39-yard touchdown by Greg Dortch. It was Baker's first interception since 2022. Baker also had half a sack.
"When you win the takeaway battle 4-0, you should have a really good chance of winning," Gannon said. "We were in the points zone, and we got knocked out of being able to kick a field goal there. I think it happened twice. You need those points, so we got to firm up, make sure we're putting them in the right spots and do a better job putting some points on the board and then hopefully you can win a game there."
It was a fourth-and-4 decision in overtime that'll headline conversation for the remainder of the week. Brissett dropped back and aired a pass deep downfield towards Xavier Weaver, who was initially facing man-to-man defense before a safety dropped back to double cover the wide receiver.
Gannon said he "loved the decision" given the double-coverage to the main targets. Brissett agreed.
"We're trying to win the game," Brissett said. "It was a coverage for him. I've got to make a better throw."
Brissett finished the game 33-of-49 for 317 yards. Michael Wilson had 10receptions for 118 yards in his second game as the top wideout.
Just as they experienced early in the season, the Cardinals found themselves in a one-score battle. Kicker Chad Ryland gave the Cardinals some life as he made the game-tying field goal with three seconds left in regulation.
But being close is a silver lining, something Gannon said doesn't exist in losses.
Now the team needs to find the difference between competing in games and winning those matchups.
"We can compete with the best of them. We're in these games," Brissett said. "The bottom line in this league is winning them. It's continuing to stay together and fine tune the details in all three phases of the game and try to find a way to win."
TURNING POINT: Special teams played a major role in Sunday's defeat. For all of the thought and concern surrounding the leg of Cam Little (who set an NFL record three weeks ago with a 68-yard make), it was a 52-yarder that gave the Jaguars the lead in overtime. While Ryland made a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation, a missed field goal attempt during the second quarter loomed large.
STANDOUTS: Despite Parker Washington's 43-yard punt return, recently-signed punter Matt Haack had a very solid debut. He downed four of his six punts inside the 10. Safety Jalen Thompson had a nice pass breakup and the strip-sack. Wilson had another incredible showing, going for over 100 yards in back-to-back weeks. Trey McBride continued to carve his name in the record books, tying Larry Fitzgerald for the most consecutive games with at least five catches. The 13 consecutive games also tied Tony Gonzalez for second-most by a tight end in NFL history.
"He's a warrior," Gannon said of the tight end. "I can't say enough good things about him."
INJURY UPDATES: After scoring his first career touchdown on an acrobatic maneuver to get over the goal line, Nolen was ruled out with a knee injury. An oblique/hip issue sidelined Will Hernandez during the first half of the game. Isaiah Adams played at right guard for the second half.
