It wasn’t pretty but the Arizona Cardinals edge the Indianapolis Colts in overtime, 16-13, and we look at three takeaways form the Week 2 matchup.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians got the best of his friend Chuck Pagano on Sunday in Indianapolis. But it wasn’t pretty. Not one bit. The first quarter was all about the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Jacoby Brissett making his first start in relief for Scott Tolzien. Poised under center, Brissett took the Colts down the field and ended his first drive as a Colt with a touchdown thanks to a Frank Gore touchdown.
Brissett and the Indianapolis offense took a 10-0 lead into the second quarter and a 10-3 lead into half. That’s when the Cardinals defense began to come together and prove their worth albeit against what’s truthfully a weak Colts offense.
For the Cardinals it was all about wide receiver J.J. Nelson on offense. After catching a garbage time touchdown at the end of last week’s loss, he caught a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to bring the game within three points.
New kicker Phil Dawson looked like the consistent kicker he is when he tied the game late in the fourth quarter at 13. But it was a blast back to the 2016 season for Arizona and Cardinals fans when he missed a game winning 42-yard attempt as time expired, pushing the game into overtime.
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Indianapolis won the toss, but it took just two plays for safety Tyrann Mathieu to intercept Brissett putting the Cardinals in field-goal position and a chance to win the game. Dawson redeemed himself kicking a 30-yard field goal to get the victory.
While Arizona won the game, it wasn’t in impressive fashion. The defense looked strong, but the offense looked out of sync for the second consecutive week. A win is a win, but squeaking out a victory against the Colts leaves you queazy entering Week 3.
3. Chandler Jones starting the season off strong
New contract, no problem. Chandler Jones has gotten off to a fast start to the season after signing his new big contract this past offseason. After a sack in the opener against Detroit, he followed it up with a bigger game against the Colts, taking down Brissett twice.
The biggest play from Jones came with 55 seconds left. Jones got to Brissett and forced a fumble which Brissett eventually recovered. The play broke any momentum Indianapolis had and set them behind the chains. Jones had an opportunity at another strip-sack on the next play but Colts tackle Anthony Costanzo resorted in tackling Jones to the ground instead.
Defense won the game today for Arizona. Jones was a big part of that. This is a great sign for Arizona and something they can build off of.