THE STORY: GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – Kyler Murray was succinct, shaking his head at the "bonehead play after bonehead play" the Cardinals put on Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon.
The least penalized team in the league nearly reached its season total for flags in one game. The TD-score-to-open games streak came to a jarring halt, ending on a miscommunication incompletion between Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. that Murray said was his fault. The defense, looking to prevent big plays against Jordan Love and the Packers, gave up big plays.
The 34-13 loss was 24-0 before the Cardinals (2-4) could find their footing, and it couldn't have been much more disappointing after an emotional road win the week before.
"This is upsetting," defensive lineman L.J. Collier said. "We can win back-to-back games and we can do things like that. We have to execute. We have to put this (expletive) in motion, honestly.
"We've got everything we need in the building. We just have to play better."
The Cardinals had an NFL-low 19 penalties before the game but committed 13 for 100 yards (and had one flag declined and another wiped out from offsetting fouls). Too many came pre-snap.
It was out of character for a Jonathan Gannon team, but indicative of a day that was often played under dark clouds and rain.
"We just didn't compete smart enough today," Gannon said.
That didn't include the three lost fumbles, short-circuiting any hope of a rally. The Cardinals did force a Love interception by cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, but the offense could only turn it into a field goal.
Love threw four touchdown passes for a second straight game, and the Packers had seven players with at least one rushing attempt while piling up 179 yards on the ground. Gannon noted the Cardinals didn't do enough on the pass rush to affect Love, who too often had a long time to choose his target.
"We've got to go back to the drawing board," linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. said. "If we want to be a playoff team, we've got to figure that (expletive) out."
While the Packers were running, the Cardinals couldn't. The deficit didn't help, but the Cardinals totaled 89 yards on the ground with James Conner notching only 24 on seven carries before essentially sitting out the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
Murray completed 22-of-32 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown to Michael Wilson. But his gaudy running average was held down – Murray had 14 yards on seven carries – and the turnovers wiped out potential drives.
"We play like that, we won't beat anybody," Murray said.
"There is no magic wand to wave. We just have to execute."
TURNING POINT: Trailing 7-0, punter Blake Gillkin drilled a 58-yard punt and both Joey Blount and Max Melton got down to cover potentially inside the Green Bay 5. But the grass, wet from the rain, was slippery, and both players lost their footing and took the ball into the end zone. The Packers used that as a springboard to march 80 yards for a second touchdown and a 14-0 lead. The Cardinals never really recovered.
THE STANDOUTS: Tight end Trey McBride came away with eight catches for 96 yards as Murray's clear target once Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game.
HARRISON SHUT OUT AFTER INJURY: Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game in the first half after his head collided with a defender's thigh on an incompletion. Harrison got up after the play and then wobbled before going to the ground. He left the game with a concussion check and did not return, going catch-less for the first time in his career.
CARDINALS FEELING BLUE (TENT): The injuries came way too often for the Cardinals, who will have a long injury report before the Chargers game and sent a parade to the blue medical tent. Among the players who left with maladies were DL Bilal Nichols (stinger), left guard Evan Brown (ankle), cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck) and linebacker Kyzir White (knee).
