As the Cardinals search for answers following their 44-22 defeat, they will do so without one of their veteran leaders.
Zay Jones' season is over and is headed in Injured Reserve, coach Jonathan Gannon said on Monday, after the veteran tore his Achilles in the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Seahawks.
The Cardinals will also be without Simi Fehoko for the foreseeable future, Gannon said, with an arm injury.
The injury status of players like defensive lineman Walter Nolen III, safety Rabbit Taylor-Demerson, and right tackle Jonah Williams will be available later in the week.
Jones, who re-signed with the Cardinals this offseason to a one-year deal, has served as a valuable leader in the locker room. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson both have praised Jones for his role as the veteran in a young wideout room.
Now it'll be on players like Xavier Weaver, a second-year speedster who has been inactive for five games this season, to become more involved within the offense.
"I don't have to tell any of those guys when they are about to play," Gannon said. "(Xavier) knows."
The loss in the wide receiver room might present some unknowns, but the players left the facility on Monday with clarity as to what went wrong against their NFC West foe on Sunday.
A pair of forced fumbles returned for touchdowns caused by the Seahawks defense, coupled together with an explosive Sam Darnold-Jaxon Smith-Njigba connection, allowed for Seattle to take a lead heading into the half.
"When you spot a team 14 points on offense and they score on their first three drives and you find yourself down, 35-0, that's a tough hole to come out of," Gannon said. "No one feels good about how that game unfolded."
Gannon applauded his team for their fight. The Cardinals defense forced multiple turnovers in the second half and were able to generate scoring opportunities.
"I do appreciate though that they did battle and we had a chance, honestly, in my opinion, there at the end of the third to cut it to a two-score game," Gannon said. "The effort was there and they reset themselves."
That self-evaluation is the next step for the Cardinals as they get set for another divisional battle against the 49ers, the first team Arizona fell to during their five-game losing streak.
Cornerback Denzel Burke said the team analyzed the film and recognized what caused their mistakes. The rookie did not lose much at Ohio State and he said he's adjusting to the challenges of playing in the NFL. Practicing against Smith-Njigba at Ohio State is different than guarding him in a Week 10 battle at Lumen Field.
"It's the league," Burke said. "It's the best of the best week in and week out. It's a game of margins, game of inches. Everybody has got to do their job."
The team's response, despite being down early in the game, was a testament to their brotherhood, Burke added. He also said that the team will need to have amnesia to overcome these losses.
With eight games remaining, and three being within the NFC West, more tests are inbound for the Cardinals.
"They understand why that happened and what we need to do better moving forward," Gannon said. "I did tell them that we got to learn from it and then we got to flush it, because just like any win or loss, it doesn't matter how you get there. The most important thing is the next week. That's where our focus will be going into San Francisco."
