As the Cardinals sit in first place in the NFC West, it’s a credit to the coaching staff and front office who have been the masterminds behind the team’s development and next-man up mentality.
“(Gannon) will make you believe you can do anything,” linebacker Kyzir White said on The Cardinals Locker Room Podcast. “He’s a great leader.”
While Gannon doesn’t believe wins can carry over each week, he does think confidence is contagious.
“Our guys know if we have the ball at the end of the game, two minutes, one minute, three minutes, four minutes, we feel really good about operating and winning the game,” Gannon said. “It’s fun to watch that because I know that they’re connected. They’re playing for each other and they’re doing everything in their power to win the game.”
Which is why Froholdt and the offense didn’t find the moment too big as they began the final drive. “This is the time now,” he said of the team’s thought process on the final possession.
With their backs against the wall, the Cardinals delivered in dramatic fashion. Starting at their own 11, the Cardinals held the ball for the final 5:01, covering 13 plays and 73 yards, fittingly led by the player that wears No. 1.
“I just knew when we got a chance at the end we were going to go score,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “That’s the mentality. That’s how I felt. I felt like I was in a groove. I felt we were in a groove. There was really nothing … like when you’re in that zone, there’s really nothing that they can do.”
In the fourth quarter, Murray completed 10 straight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. The offense put up its best performance since Week 2, with wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Trey McBride both eclipsing 100 yards.
When the schedule was released, the first eight games were referred to as a gauntlet. Six of their eight opponents were in the playoffs this past season. But within a league where “any given Sunday” rarely disappoints, the Cardinals continue to believe in themselves.
“We’re confident in our team and confident in our play callers as well,” McBride said. “We know we’re going to fight till the end, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got and we’re not going to quit. That’s the main thing about us.”
