It was a miserable outing for the Arizona Cardinals.
In the span of about three weeks, the Cardinals failed to beat the Geno Smith-led Seattle Seahawks twice. They are now 0-3 in divisional games this season and are all but out of the postseason race.
There are now loud calls for a massive overhaul in the organization, as the team has completely fallen from the contender they were a year ago at this time.
Without getting too far ahead, let’s take a look at the studs and duds from Week 9.
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STUD: LB Zaven Collins
Collins is developing into a very good player for the Arizona Cardinals. While he received a fair share of criticism last season, he’s quickly became one of the top defenders on the team.
The former first-round pick made what should have been the game-changing play for the Cardinals, perfectly reading a screen pass and taking it all the way for a touchdown.
Collins was also making consistent plays in the backfield and proving his worth as the No. 16 overall pick.
DUD: C Billy Price
Price finds his way onto this list for the second straight week. He is playing at an extremely poor level, one that has cost the team mightily in recent weeks.
Following the Cardinals’ opening drive touchdown, Price snapped the ball over the head of Kyler Murray, killing any momentum. He was also consistently beat in pass protection.
Since losing Rodney Hudson and Justin Pugh, the Cardinals have not been able to get any sort of inside rushing attack. Price has not been effective as a run blocker either.
It remains to be seen if Hudson will ever play another down for the Cardinals, or if they will be stuck with Price the rest of the way.
DUD: WR Robbie Anderson
In Anderson’s defense, the coaching staff has not found ways to get him the ball in what is now his third week with the team.
When he was on the field, however, Anderson could not make a play. He had a crucial drop on third down that would eventually lead to a turnover on fourth down from Kyler Murray.
In three games with the Cardinals, Anderson has one catch for minus-4 yards. He certainly is not filling the void left by the injured Hollywood Brown and the team is suffering from a lack of a WR2.
Brown’s return will be too little, too late for the Cardinals. Anderson’s future with the team is certainly in doubt.