The Arizona Cardinals snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Sunday with a last-second 23-21 loss to the Oakland Raiders at State Farm Stadium.
The Cards, who are now 2-8 this season, had multiple chances to seal the win but failed to put away the lowly Raiders, who notched just their second win of the season. The Raiders drove over 60 yards with no timeouts in the final two minutes to set up the game-winning kick.
Here are three big takeaways from Arizona's loss.
1. Mistakes in final minutes
The Cardinals had several opportunities to ensure their second win in their last three games. All of these things happened in the game's final minutes:
-Linebacker Josh Bynes dropped a point-blank interception deep in Oakland territory.
-Tight end Jermaine Gresham picked up a personal-foul penalty that ultimately gave the Raiders an extra 40 seconds to get in range for their last-second field goal.
-Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones was called for a holding penalty to negate a David Johnson touchdown run with just over two minutes left.
-Cornerback Bene Benwikere dropped a potential interception on the Raiders' final drive.
Yep... it's been that kind of season for the Cardinals.
2. Mixed bag for Josh Rosen
Arizona's hopeful quarterback of the future had an extremely up-and-down day. Rookie Josh Rosen threw two interceptions, including one on his first pass of the game, and he only completed 9 of 20 passes for 136 yards.
He did, however, throw a career-high three touchdowns, including two to Larry Fitzgerald -- Fitz's only two catches of the game -- and he threw a terrific ball to fellow rookie Christian Kirk to set up Fitzgerald's second TD grab.
.@josh3rosen to @LarryFitzgerald for SIX!
📺: CBS #BeRedSeeRed pic.twitter.com/Z4MadO6RJc
— NFL (@NFL) November 18, 2018
Christian Kirk with the toe tap on the sideline!
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/ILANCcONMk
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 18, 2018
*Sees @LarryFitzgerald score another crunch time TD.
our brain:
don’t say it
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don’t say it
don’t say it
don’t say it
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don’t say it
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don’t say itUs: LAR-RY! LAR-RY! pic.twitter.com/FsSgXcXyi9
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 18, 2018
When Rosen gets more experience, not to mention a decent offensive line, he should have a chance to become a terrific NFL quarterback. For now, it's a series of ups and (mostly) downs for the young rookie.
3. Great birthday showing for Kirk
Speaking of Christian Kirk: The Cards' 2018 second-round draft pick became the first Cardinal in 27 years to score a touchdown on his birthday when he had a 59-yard catch and run in the first quarter. For the game, Kirk had three catches for 77 yards, and he looked good in punt-return duty, as well. The future is bright for the Valley native and Saguaro High School alum.
Birthday Boy giving us a gift.@ChristianDavon2 blowing out his candles today + blowing by defenders. pic.twitter.com/YU9ElqCBYY
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 18, 2018
