So ... about Sunday. That wasn't great. But it's turn-the-page Tuesday, and a home game coming against the 49ers. On to the mailbag. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.

From David Bieber:

"Don't you believe our team could use some aggressive practice on blocking and tackling? Looked that way against the Seahawks."

For starters, there are only so many "aggressive" practices allowed. I don't know how you have the kind of practice you suggest without being fully padded; teams are only allowed 14 padded practices in the regular season and only three in the final six weeks of the season. I do not know where the Cardinals are with their total, and when you are coming off a game in which so many guys got injured, usually the first move is to dial practice back a bit rather than go hard and risk losing more guys.

That all said, the Cardinals did not a) block well or b) tackle well against the Seahawks. A terrible game. They will all admit as much. Their one clunker this season. But they were fine with blocking and tackling most of the time in their other games.

From Danny Schmidt:

"Question was asked on the radio by fans and now to you. Why do we keep running play action when it's not working? It's crazy to me every time Jacoby turns his back on the D, fakes it to the RB, and turns around to find two defenders swarming him. At what point do you just put him in shotgun with max protection?"

Not sure when this question came in. If it was after the Seattle game, I feel that's recency bias. He ran play action a ton against Dallas (and in his first two starts) and it was often effective. Against the Seahawks, not as much, and sure, you want to adjust. But this presents like a general question and generally, Jacoby Brissett is good in play action. So you aren't going to dump it if once in a while a guy is in his face as he turns around.

Just for knowledge, here are Brissett's play-action numbers in his four starts according to TruMedia:

From Dhruvraj Parmar:

"I was reading a very interesting article. Jeff Hoffman, who pitched for the Blue Jays said after their World Series loss 'I cost a ring to everyone in here.' His teammate Ernie Clement responded by saying 'I would go to war with Jeff Hoffman every day of the week.' This kind of propping each other up is what makes championship team. I see a lot of fans berating Kyler while he's down. I want to see more from players backing each other up like how Kyler said 'I need him and he needs me' when Marvin wasn't making routine catches. It would shut down a lot of critics and I am sure raise Kyler's confidence."

A couple of notes here. If Kyler were to speak to the media and say something like that publicly like Hoffman did, I am sure there would be teammates with his back like Clement. Murray hasn't spoken since the game he was hurt in early October. That said, I think players are going to speak to the moment, especially about the quarterback. They are going to talk about the connection they have with whomever is under center right now. In this case, it's Jacoby Brissett. Players aren't being asked about Kyler at this point. And there isn't really any upside in jumping into the Twitter/Reddit wars about K1.

From Mike B:

"Dadrion Taylor-Demerson's snap counts have been steadily falling all season up to the Dallas game where he only played a total of eight snaps. Is he in the doghouse? Has he not played well? I'm writing this pre-Seattle so maybe injuries will force him to play tomorrow; but I do think his snap count trend is worth paying attention to. I'd assumed he was the heir apparent starter at safety but the numbers say otherwise."

You are not wrong; Rabbit's snaps have dropped, and he had a season-low 3 in Seattle -- although he left early in the game with an ankle injury and didn't return. I don't think this is a doghouse situation as much as a the-Cardinals-have-a-lot-of-DBs situation. Look at it this way -- Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker are essentially going to play every snap at safety. When the Cardinals go to nickel, Garrett Williams usually is taking that spot. When Williams was hurt, there was going to be more playing time for Rabbit. Plus, as the season goes on, adjustments on how you are going to play will be made, and for a guy who is on the edge of being in or not, there is always the chance it will be "not."

From Needra Patel:

"You can safely file this away in the never-gonna-happen files ... but maaaybe just mention it to Calais Campbell for his consideration. If he played just ONE more season (ideally with us), he would be No. 1 all-time for games played for a defensive lineman in NFL history. He will finish this season No. 3 all-time, a great accolade in its own right. But numero uno is so close and he's still playing so well. Please D, just let him know!"

You are correct. Assuming he plays in all eight remaining games, Calais will be at 278. Bruce Smith is at 279, and Jim Marshall 282. He'd blow past that if he were to play a 19th season. I would love to do that story. I am sure, too, that Calais is aware of the numbers already. He has seriously considered retiring the last two seasons and it feels like he's still seeing this as being it. But we will see. If there is any chance of him playing as a Cardinal next year -- and I do believe he'd like to finish in Arizona -- I would guess what the Cards are going to look like in 2026 will play a factor.

From Shane Eisenmann:

"Why is Bilal Nichols a weekly healthy scratch now? Guy was a prize free agent last year. I understand Walt is back and so the room is crowded, but I'd think someone like PJ Mustipher or even Dante Stills might be the one to sit. Is Bilal still hurt?"

No, Bilal is not hurt. They like Stills. They always have. Mustipher has worked hard to have a role. You are right, the room is crowded. But they want that depth. There is a chance the Cardinals could be without Darius Robinson and/or Walter Nolen III with injuries, and if that's the case, Nichols will be right back out there.

From Jason Schluter:

"Darren's favorite kind of question (aside from jerseys and D-Wash's ETA): draft speculation! Woo! Even before the Seattle game I would said the same, but after the Seattle game, you may as well write this in stone: right tackle. Good news, this is a good draft for RTs. Based where we are projected to land (around 9-10-11) that's pretty much the perfect range to take the best RT in the draft."

Goodness, a draft question after nine games. Smh. We have a million miles to go. But yes, especially after last season's draft was so much defense, I'd expect more offense this next draft, and I would not be surprised with a high pick for an offensive lineman or two. However ...

... it's Nov. 11. Please, please, let's let this season play out at least into mid-December.

From Rocky S:

"Hi Darren. First-timer here. Putting the subjective 'eye test' aside, the stat comparison between Jacoby and Kyler is a dead heat. I see improved O-line play and an improving fourth-quarter D as the biggest impact over the past few weeks. Jacoby will not be the long-term QB. I'd like to see Kyler play out his contract with the current leadership in place because I think it gives us the best chance to transform into a winner."

I mean, I'll pass this along to the people that make that decision? We will see how everything plays out over the next few months, but change in the NFL is inevitable and if a team ends up well short of expectations, big change often comes. The next step to watch will be in early December when Kyler is eligible to come off IR.

From Lane K:

"At 35-0, the Cardinals looked cooked. But, slowly, the team kept grinding, outscoring the Hawks 22-7 from that point on. That's sticks with me. This team has grit and fight and they never give up. Is that your observation and if so, from which players are the anchors to instill this 'never give up' attitude coming?"

There are a couple of points here. Yes, they battled and didn't completely fold. They could've done that. But fighting back should be the expectation, because that's the job. You can't have a first half like that. Period. As for "anchor" players, to me, it's going to start with Calais Campbell, Trey McBride, Budda Baker and Paris Johnson Jr. Doesn't mean others aren't in the same vein. I'd also throw Jacoby Brissett in there, because he has the experience of the league and the knowledge that playing time isn't promised and you can't throw it away regardless of circumstance.

From Crawford Daily:

"Hi Darren. I really don't think the Seattle game was that bad. I've seen miserable games where the OL was bad. The QB, the RBs, the WRs, the defense, the special teams, the coaching. Everything and everyone was dysfunctional. The Seattle outcome, to me, was on the O-line and backup CBs. Nothing more. From a catastrophic performance standpoint, I don't think that loss was nearly as bad as Tennessee. The thing I do worry about is how do we fix it? Also, shoutout to Tip Reiman. I know some were critical of taking a blocking specialist tight end in the third round, but we are feeling his value right now."

It's hard for me to lean on a cornerbacks corps when the other team only threw 12 passes. You can't let a team run for almost 200 yards. I am sure the O-line won't feel like the Seattle game was a good one, but again, to say it was all on them, I can't do it. It's hard to fall behind like that without a total breakdown. How to fix it? I'm not that guy. If I were, I'd think my paycheck would be a lot bigger. A consistent running game is still missing. The Seahawks are playing like the best team in the league right now. I am fascinated to see what this game against the 49ers will look like; the Cardinals should've won the first meeting.

From Joy:

"Worst game since the 58-0 Seattle blowout. First thing I want to say is even though it's admirable he always takes the blame, this was not JG's fault. The team played, with a few exceptions Trey McBride, horribly. I certainly hope O-line is where our draft picks are going this year. Too many injuries. Though as a born and raised Buckeye it pains me to say it, but I think Will Johnson is really good, except for the fact you need to be on the field."

You know me, Joy, I really would like a question. But we move on. Johnson has been very good when he has played this season. You hope that the Cardinals will find a way to have him consistently play each week. And as I noted before, I would think the offensive line will have a focus in the Cardinals' draft plans.

From JP Redman:

"Did Will Johnson get hurt on the final play of the Dallas game? I noticed he got his legs swept out from under him on the Burke interception. Crummy luck if that's the case."

I watched that last play, the 66th of the game for Johnson. Yes, he was tripped up but he got back up relatively OK, so I don't know if that play in particular was a problem or if it cropped up after.

From Victor Sanchez:

"Hi Darren, whether Kyler or Jacoby it seems the fourth quarter has been difficult. Can you compare completion percentage, sacks taken, pressure rate in the fourth vs. the first three quarters? I think one reason teams are coming back on Arizona is that the O struggles late. Thanks!"

Wow. Two tables in one mailbag. Amazing. Sure, we can do that. Here are the stats from the Cardinals overall this season in the first three quarters vs. the fourth quarter offensively in the passing game according to TruMedia. As you can see, there isn't a significant difference:

From Jarrett L:

"Sure, the Cardinals game left us as gloomy as a Seattle afternoon, but since I know you're a basketball guy, you have to be happy about the sunny Suns right? (And tell me we are still going to beat the Niners.)"

That's quite a turn of a phrase there, Jarrett. It was ironic that the Cardinals' loss was gloomy but that might've been the best weather the Cardinals have ever had at Seattle. Yes, the Suns are off to a nice start. Looks like they might be what they said they are going to be: scrappy, hard-working, and giving themselves a chance. A breath of fresh air after last year.

As for Sunday, I agree with Calais. The Cardinals are capable of doing damage. But they haven't. Not enough. There is no reason they can't beat the 49ers. Bouncing back from the Seahawks game is important. For them, and for the fan base.