The Arizona Cardinals suffered their seventh loss of the season on Sunday, falling to the Dolphins in Miami. Head coach Bruce Arians has figured out what was wrong with the Cardinals, though. Arians suggested the rain wasn’t just a factor, but that the weather may have been a little worse when the Cardinals were on offense.
Bruce Arians thinks the weather was out to get the Cardinals in loss vs. Dolphins
The rain was a factor for Arizona when they fell to the Dolphins in Miami.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
It was a sloppy game. Rain was pouring throughout, and Arizona turned the ball over four times. Of course, both teams were impacted by the weather, but Arians felt like the Cardinals may have had it a bit worse than Miami.
“We practiced with a wet ball on Wednesday and didn’t have any problems,” Arians said, according to Steven Wine of the Associated Press. “But when it continually pours when you have the ball, which was kind of odd, it’s tough.”
Arians wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Quarterback Carson Palmer said the timing of the showers was curious, because the downpours seemed heavier when the Cardinals had the ball.
“Every time we had the ball, it just started turning on and staying on,” Palmer said. “Then it would stop.”
Wide receiver J.J. Nelson also noticed that the precipitation was heavier when Arizona had the ball.
“Every time we got the ball it seemed like it was pouring, like a monsoon,” Nelson said. “I’ve never played in anything like that.”
Arizona has struggled with turnovers all season, and while a slick ball was almost certainly part of the problem against the Dolphins, it is an issue that has plagued the Cardinals all year. The Cardinals have fumbled the ball 23 times this year, and Palmer has thrown 13 interceptions.
Kicker Chandler Catanzaro was presumably impacted by the weather, too, missing a field goal and both of his PAT attempts.
The weather was problematic for the Dolphins, too. Miami fumbled the ball five times, losing two, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw an interception. The weather seemed to impact Tannehill’s delivery.
The Cardinals tied it up 23, but despite losing Tannehill to a knee injury, the Dolphins were able to execute a game-winning drive. It was the only field goal attempt of the day for Miami kicker Andrew Franks, but he nailed it with one second remaining in the game to give the Dolphins the 26-23 win.
The weather was far from ideal, but the 2016 Cardinals have bigger issues than the rain.
See More:
