The Cardinals will move on, like they always do, like every player does. There is no concern that Sunday’s outcome alone can smash up a season, just like there was no concern the Packers loss would. It was understandable when Colt McCoy said "I'm going to be thinking about this one a long time," because the Cards' backup-but-starting QB did not play well – certainly not as good as he played in San Francisco – but even for him, the length of "long time" is about perspective. I mean, McCoy is talking about into Monday and maybe Tuesday, and really, that's not long in the grand scheme.
No, the issue for the Cardinals isn't about a loss to a team they felt they should've been better than on Sunday, which they most definitely were not in a 34-10 loss. The issue is health, and very specifically, the health of the quarterbacks. McCoy is now beat up with a pectoral issue, and we still don't know exactly where Kyler Murray stands.
The Seahawks were shut out Sunday and Russell Wilson in his first game back did not play well. There will be significant motivation for he and his team to play much better at home for the first time since his finger injury. The Cards, who didn't perform in any aspect Sunday like they are capable, better be ready for it. A healthy quarterback would be nice. Not having Murray (or Hop) Sunday didn't help, but it shouldn't have looked like that.
-- Cam Newton. The Cardinals can't get away from that guy.
-- Asked how much of the playbook he had actually digested after just signing 48 hours before the game, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton quipped, "Two touchdowns worth."
-- New long snapper Beau Brinkley was flawless Sunday, and no one noticed – which is exactly how it's supposed to be with the long snapper, right?
-- I thought one of the biggest plays of the game came very early – Panthers ball at the Arizona 14, third-and-9, after Haason Reddick's strip sack, in a scoreless game. Christian McCaffery gets loose for a 13-yard catch over the middle. Stop the Panthers there, and it's a field goal – and we also don't see Newton for his TD run. At least, not there. You wonder how much it might've changed things.
-- Reddick is having a heck of a season in Carolina, and the ex-Cardinal obviously enjoyed Sunday very much. "It felt really good. I ain't gonna lie," Reddick said.
-- Down 23-0, the Cardinals faced their largest halftime deficit since they trailed, 35-3, to Denver at home in 2018. That was the game after which offensive coordinator Mike McCoy was fired the next day. This is not that situation, but any outing that dredges up 2018 memories isn't awesome.
-- Kliff Kingsbury said Tanner Vallejo has "earned" the playing time at inside linebacker, as Zaven Collins' defensive time has dwindled to very little.
-- It's the second straight week in the NFL four teams – this week, the Panthers, Dolphins, Vikings and Washington – came in with a winning percentage of .500 or worse and beat a team that was in first place or tied for first. Last week, the Giants, Broncos, Chiefs and Jaguars did it. So the Cardinals are not alone in tripping up against a team they felt they should beat.
Not much to parse from this one. That's it from tonight.