The Cardinals were given hope, and it came as dynamically as possible, thanks to DeeJay Dallas.
The NFL has termed their new kickoff rules the "dynamic kickoff" and what that means all season and in the future is still TBD. But Dallas, a running back signed for his special teams skills, made some history on Sunday in Buffalo by becoming the first player to return one of the special kickoffs for a touchdown.
His 96-yarder brought the Cardinals – down 11 and struggling the entire second half on offense – back from the dead. (If it had only sparked a comeback win ...) All along Jonathan Gannon had said he planned to make the dynamic rules an advantage for the Cardinals, and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers (and Dallas) made that happen.
Then Dallas FaceTimed his wife and kids after the game, seeing them jump up and down in excitement.
"That's the best feeling," he said.
When it was pointed out that, from above in the press box, it looked like a giant hole opened for his run, Dallas smiled. It looked "tiny. I swear," he said. "In the old rules, coaches always used to say you have to run through the dark crease. I just trusted that.
"Everybody as their role on the team. I just try to be the best at my role."
Dallas' score was the first time the Cardinals had a kickoff return for a touchdown since rookie David Johnson did it in 2015 Week 2 at Chicago.
-- Loved seeing Kyler Murray's legs back in play like that, and love that there were a couple of times he eschewed scrambling and made the pass work. The Cardinals will want/need to show their upgraded wide receiver corps are a thing. I did love Murray's postgame temperament, however. Again, it's a small thing, and he was obviously not thrilled with the outcome. But the way he talked about the loss, he was avoiding the dark hole to which those losses used to send him. The change will only help him and his teammates.
-- James Conner was getting all the work early. Even with a 20-yard run – his first of the season, after leading the NFL with 11 such runs a season ago – Conner only had 50 yards on 16 carries, but he did have a touchdown and made three catches for another 33 yards.
"I just need to do my job, put the ball where it needs to go," Conner said.
-- The work Marvin Harrison Jr. didn't get was also going to be a storyline. Coach Jonathan Gannon said the Bills were shading some coverages to take Harrison out of the equation, but to not have a target in the second half was a surprise.
"It was our first time playing together," Murray said, adding that the two will get better on plays like the missed back-shoulder throw in the first half.
-- The 60 degrees at kickoff was the coolest temperature for a Cardinals opener since the team moved to Arizona in 1988.
-- Zaven Collins lost a sack at one point for a roughness call that, under replay, looked like a mistaken flag. But the Cardinals also scored their first touchdown after Murray was short on a third-down scramble and the Bills defender was called for roughing and that too looked like a mistaken flag.
-- The defense should have had a few sacks. Credit has to go to Josh Allen because he has made a career out of escaping those things, but the Cardinals can't survive missing on opportunities they create to take down the QB.
-- It turned out not to matter because the Cardinals got down the field anyway, but Michael Wilson has got to make that catch he didn't on the first play of the final drive. He'll be the first to say that, too.
-- There was a lot more Emari Demercado than Trey Benson in the game. Not sure that will change anytime soon, especially if Conner is going to get that kind of work.
-- Admit, as the clock wound down and the Cardinals had a chance, tell me the Hail Murray didn't creep into your thoughts.
Time to fly back across the country. The regular season means we're right back to a ramp up Monday.
