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Kent Somers of azcentral sports talks about the great year Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones is having. Somers spoke with defensive coordinator James Bettcher after practice in Tempe, Thurs, November 30, 2017. Tom Tingle/azcentral.com
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With the Cardinals officially eliminated from playoff contention after a 20-15 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, Arizona head coach Bruce Arians said he isn’t about to tank the season away to improve the club’s draft position.
In fact, Arians is doing the exact opposite by making changes to his lineup for next Sunday’s game against the New York Giants at University of Phoenix Stadium. Chief among those switches is that Drew Stanton will get the start at quarterback over Blaine Gabbert.
“I just think Drew is going to give us a better chance to win this game this week,” Arians said in his Monday press conference. “For me, we’re not going to throw our hands up and just lose the games to get a better draft pick. ... We’re going to take the guys we think can win this game and go win this game.”
Gabbert, 28, was just 16-for-41 passing with no touchdowns, three fumbles and an interception against the Redskins. It was his third start with the Cardinals since signing with them in May.
The Cardinals have not scored a touchdown in their past 10 quarters, a span dating back to Dec. 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. Kicker Phil Dawson converted four field goals in a 12-9 win over the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 10 and was a perfect 5-for-5 on Sunday. He has scored Arizona’s past 30 points.
“After reviewing the film, it’s obviously a game we should have won,” Arians said of Sunday’s loss. “We had four or five opportunities in the red zone to score touchdowns and we’ve just got to make plays. Whether it’s catches, throws, protections … A little bit of all of the above. There were little things that hampered the offensive performance.”
Arians said that because of the amount of injuries the team has had to endure, the team is limited in the amount of changes it can make for next week. With a healthy Stanton, the quarterback position is one of relative flexibility.
“It’s different people,” Arians said. “Had it been the group that started the year, you’d be looking to make changes. But the changes have already been made, so you can’t make any more changes. It’s just a matter of learning and making the plays. Seeing it happen in practice and seeing it happen full-speed in a game are two different things. That’s experience.
“If it was Carson (Palmer) and David (Johnson) and John Brown, then it’d be coaching,” he continued. “When you’ve got guys wide open or a guy turns somebody loose on a blitz and it’s a really good play, you know it’s execution and you have to accept some of it as a coach when it’s youth.”
After Palmer went down with a broken arm during the Cardinals’ 33-0 loss to the Rams on Oct. 22, Stanton played in relief and started the team’s next two games. The 30-year-old signal caller was 44-for-91 passing for 273 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in parts of three games.
“Drew is a pro,” Arians said. “Drew is in my ear the whole game and he’s always right. With Carson it’s the same thing. It’s a lot of dynamics going on there, but he’s healthy enough now to run around and be Drew. If he weren’t, I wouldn’t make the switch. Inside and out, certain things that come up during the game and critical situations. He’s been in it and knows it.”
Despite the switch under center, Arians maintained that Gabbert’s benching should in no way reflect poorly on the former Missouri quarterback.
“I think Blaine is a player,” Arians said. “I think he has a great future. Some of those things he’s experiencing for the first time. It’s not a lack of talent, it’s just a lack of experience in this offense. I think he made some poor decisions at times.
“I think Blaine is going to be a great player. But Drew already knows all of these scenarios. He’s healthy enough now and it’s just a matter of us getting those touchdowns that are there. We’re trying to win this game, but it is in no way an indictment on Blaine.”
Injury aftermath
The Cardinals added seven more players to an already crowded injury report in wake of Sunday’s loss, but Arians said the severity of some ailments may not be quite as bad as originally thought.
Here is a brief rundown:
- Arizona lost receiver and kick returner Brittan Golden for the season after he broke his arm while returning a kick against the Redskins. He is headed for injured reserve, the 14th Cardinals player to join the list.
- Both tight end Troy Niklas (ankle) and Karlos Dansby (undisclosed) could return to practice this week, according to Arians.
- Arians did not provide updates on Kerwynn Williams (quadriceps), defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (wrist) or inside linebacker Josh Bynes (left leg), but said that several players were still undergoing MRIs on Monday.
- Finally, the flu bug that sidelined tight end Jermaine Gresham has now affected both defensive end Olsen Pierre and an unnamed player on the practice squad. Arians said that Gresham is healthy.
MORE CARDINALS: GM Steve Keim vows to make changes, apologizes to fans in radio interview
MORE CARDINALS: Arizona kisses playoff hopes goodbye with loss to Washington
CARDINALS REPORT CARD: Lack of execution in passing game dooms Cardinals vs. Redskins
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