The Arizona Cardinals fell to 0-4 after Sunday’s defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, but the loss shouldn’t be the headline. Josh Rosen made his NFL debut and didn’t disappoint.
Looking Beyond The Box Score
If you are just looking at the raw numbers from Rosen’s debut, you probably would say he had an okay game. The rookie finished 15-for-27 for 180 yards and one touchdown. He finished the day with a quarterback rating of 88.5. Those numbers don’t come close to telling the whole story for Rosen.
Rosen was going up against a Seattle defense which is far removed from the ‘Legion of Boom’ days, but going into the contest they still had Bobby Wagner and Earl Thomas. Thomas, unfortunately, broke his leg in the second half and will most likely miss the rest of the season.
The story on Rosen coming out of UCLA was that he could make any throw on the field and was extremely accurate. The was evident throughout the game Sunday. Rosen made several spectacular throws and showed everyone why the Cardinals traded up for the former UCLA star. Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy put together a nice game plan for the rookie, and it will evolve as the season goes along.
Rosen did not receive much help from this teammates throughout the game. Several receivers dropped passes all game including Larry Fitzgerald, and if that happens it must be a bad day. David Johnson carried the ball 22 times for only 71 yards. The offensive line remains a concern for this team despite Rosen only being sacked once in this game. Josh better hope the running game gets going soon or else he will be running for his life all year. Oh, and Phil Dawson missed a go-ahead field goal with under two minutes left in the game.
Despite all of the issues around him, Rosen remained remarkably composed and it was quite impressive. Whether it was the throws he made or his ability to keep his team in the game despite seemingly everything else not going right, he proved why he is the future.
What To Expect Moving Forward
Head coach Steve Wilks is off to a 0-4 start to his coaching career, but as the season continues, Rosen will give him a level of comfort for the future. The Cardinals are in a deep hole as a team after the first quarter of the season, but there should be some excitement. Josh Rosen will certainly take his lumps and it won’t always be rainbows and unicorns, but the experience he will get this year will only make him and this team better for the future.
It’s safe to expect that McCoy will put more on Rosen’s plate with the more game experience he gets. At some point David Johnson will get going, he is too good of a player to continue having lackluster performances. That will help not only Rosen but the entire offense. If you’re Cardinals fan, despite the record there is a lot to be excited about after watching Rosen’s debut.