GLENDALE, Ariz. — Thursday night was supposed to be different for the Arizona Cardinals.
The plan was to speed up the offense, use more no-huddle.
Nothing changed. Nothing worked.
The Cardinals fell to 1-6 after an embarrassing 45-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in prime time.
And, the offense isn’t just bad. It’s abysmal. The Cardinals had just 83 yards at halftime, and finished a sixth straight game with less than 300 yards (223).
That said, Mike McCoy’s time as Cardinals offensive coordinator should come to an end.
Consider:
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The run game was almost nonexistent, in part because the Cardinals trailed 14-0 early. But also because McCoy’s playcalling has consistently showed a lack of creativity. Heading into Thursday, 48.7 percent of the Cardinals’ runs were up the middle.
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The Cardinals are averaging 220.9 total yards per game this season, the fewest by any team through seven games since the 2009 Raiders, who also averaged 220.9 with JaMarcus Russell at quarterback.
At one point Sunday, the Cardinals were 0-for-7 on third down, extending their streak of third-down failures to 18 straight, which dated back to the end of Arizona’s Week 5 win over the 49ers.
Firing McCoy has as much to do with the future as it does with the Cardinals’ offensive ineptitude in the past.
There were times, in between the interceptions, that Rosen showed flashes. There was his pass to Larry Fitzgerald in the first half that was thrown only where Fitzgerald could catch it. There was his 14-yard run on a broken play that moved the Cardinals into the red zone.
But Rosen needs grooming. That isn’t coming from McCoy, despite his success with the likes of Peyton Manning in Denver and Philip Rivers in San Diego.
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The Cardinals have their quarterback of the future, but if he continues to be coached by McCoy, his future is murky at best.
Heading into Week 7, the offense was ranked last in yards per game, first downs per game, third-down conversions, third-down conversion percentage, red zone dives and time of possession.
McCoy, who was fired by the Broncos as offensive coordinator after Week 11 last season, had the 31st-ranked offensive efficiency last season and 31st this season, heading into Thursday night. In 2016, the Chargers were ranked 17th in offensive efficiency. McCoy was the head coach while Ken Whisenhunt called plays.
