Once the game was out of reach late in the fourth quarter, the chatter started among the Cardinals coaching staff on the headsets all wore during the game. What were they each going to do this week to fix what ails this team? Because what the Cards did Sunday isn't going to work.

"It was a good conversation," coach Jonathan Gannon said.

The showing was worse than what the Cardinals have done this season. Close losses to the Bills and Lions had things from which to draw. This game, probably not so much.

Kyler Murray made the point the offense has to convert more third downs, help keep the Cardinals' defense off the field, and that's again what felt like the natural path for this team. The offense was going to be the unit that carried them.

And when they drove down the field to score a TD on the opening drive, that's what everyone saw. They just couldn't keep it going.

Trey McBride's absence was felt. But finding Marvin Harrison Jr. more is a must. Realistically, a game in which Murray runs once for three yards probably isn't going to go the Cardinals' way either. Gannon was again leaning into the optimism that things will get fixed. It was one game. And frankly, I don't see this coaching staff allowing multiple blowouts.

The next two games will be a test, though. At 49ers, at Packers. The Cardinals have to be better all over, and they definitely need to score more points.

-- The Cardinals didn't want to let Jayden Daniels get loose on Sunday, but they also didn't pressure him much. The bomb that turned into the Sean Murphy-Bunting pass interference, Daniels was able to wait for the play to develop too long.

"We've got to do a better job affecting the quarterback," Gannon said.

-- James Conner's game was so weird. He gained 100 yards – 104, to be exact – and seemed to break off plenty of big runs. But the offense never was able to translate that into the foundation of a consistent outing. Two games ago, the Cardinals led the league in third-down conversions. They were 4-for-11 Sunday, and the last attempt (which was successful) came as they were running out the clock.

-- The Cardinals have scored a touchdown on their opening drive in all four games this season.

-- The teams aren't the same, but back in 2016 after the infamously brutal and physical 6-6 tie with the Seahawks at State Farm Stadium, the Cardinals were flat against a bad Carolina team the week after and fell behind 24-7 in a 30-20 loss. You wonder if there was a little hangover after how physical the game was with the Lions last week.

-- The Cardinals have scored 35 points in the first quarter this season and have scored 38 points total in the second halves of games.

-- Jayden Daniels became the first QB in NFL history to complete at least 85 percent of his passes in consecutive games.

-- The Cardinals had a fourth-and-1 late in the second quarter after picking up nine yards on third-and-10. It was 14-7. The Cardinals went for it, and Kyler was sacked on a play where it looked like he had time for a throw. The Cards converted their other two fourth-down tries in the game.

"The clock was running down (and) we were a little discombobulated, so we were rushing," Murray said. "It was just bad execution on our part and we've got to be better."

-- Tackle Kelvin Beachum was the pick for rotating captain for the game.

-- As soon as the game ended, former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury made his way to Kyler Murray and the two had a brief hug.

-- It's safe to say Kingsbury enjoyed Sunday's result; the TV cameras showed him smiling on the sideline as the time wound down.

-- Harrison had a catch on the first play of the game and got a touchdown. But he went more than 28 minutes of game clock without a target, until he was thrown to with 5:10 left in the third quarter. Murray, who has been preaching patience with his connection with MHJ, said he noticed.

"I felt that too," Murray said. "We have to get our best players the ball. When we're doing good you feel that."

-- After Devin Booker made an appearance at last week's game, Kevin Durant was at the game Sunday.

-- The last word goes to left tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

"To lose like this at home is not acceptable at all. I think we as a team, we're able to see that and feel that. But again it goes back to just hopping on the film and being able to take the positives out of that. Because losing like this, you're not feeling the positives. You're not able to see them right now."

That's all for tonight.