The moment tight end Trey McBride fell to the grass with a little over four minutes to go in the third quarter, he put his hands over his helmet in disbelief.
After dropping a third-down pass from quarterback Joshua Dobbs that would've kept the possession alive, it was as frustrated as McBride has been.
"I feel like I can make that play as a player nine times out of 10 times and they got me on that one out of ten times," McBride said. "But at the end of the day, you've got to forget about it. You've got to move on because there's still a lot of game to play."
The second-year tight end refused to let that one play impact the rest of his performance, one that would be a career-best during the Cardinals 31-24 loss to the Ravens. McBride led the team with ten receptions for 95 yards. He also scored the first of two passing touchdowns.
But it was McBride's fourth-quarter touchdown that will resonate.
On third-and-15, Dobbs connected with McBride four yards short of the goal-line. The 6-foot-4, 246-pounder kept his feet moving, and while he was surprised that the officials didn't blow the whistle while being held up by four Baltimore defenders, the offensive line and running back Keaontay Ingram ran in to push McBride into the end zone.
"Josh told me that he was going to throw me that ball versus a certain coverage and it was that certain coverage, and I ran that route as Josh wanted me to," McBride said. "Fortunately, the big guys came and helped me. I don't know if I make it in there without those big guys."
State Farm Stadium erupted, something the fanbase hasn't been able to do. McBride chucked the ball into the crowd and even though the frustration from the drop remained postgame, he was able to celebrate and appreciate his first touchdown of the season.
The touchdown also showcased the resilience of a team struggling to produce. When McBride needed a few more yards, everybody chipped in.
"I look downfield, and I see they're pushing the pile and then it was a stalemate and I'm like 10 yards away, so I'm about to full send it and whirl my body into it," offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. said. "When he went over the line, I was so excited."
Johnson celebrated equally as hard as McBride, adding that he has to control his excitement because he was out of breath when they returned to the line to go for the two-point conversion.
Sunday's outing is not one that Dobbs will want to remember, but the growing chemistry with McBride is a positive sign, especially with Zach Ertz on IR and inactive for at least the next three games.
"Trey was locked in from the start," Dobbs said. "I know he'll continue to grow and continue to make explosive catches. I've been saying all year that you throw the ball to him, it's plus-10 (yards) every single time."
As offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and Dobbs said earlier in the week ahead of this game, the unit is on the doorstep of putting it together. Gannon has said that it takes all 11 players in each phase of the game to make that happen.
On McBride's touchdown, it did.
"I think with the fight and toughness and reliance that our team is showing, we're not far off," McBride said. "It's very encouraging to see the fight that we have. It's not like we're getting blown out. It's not like we're giving up. We're fighting all the way to the end."
