PHX Reporter

Drew Petzing, the Cardinals offensive coordinator, reflected on the team's play sequence during Sunday's game against the Lions. He acknowledged being aware of the run/pass ratio in the fourth quarter, where all 18 offensive plays called were passes. The Lions entered the quarter leading 20-10 and eventually won 20-13.

"I definitely knew because I knew time on the clock when we went to the two-minute mindset," Petzing said. "Doesn't mean we're not going to run the ball in the two-minute mindset if we get the right look or different things come up during the drive, but I think it was something I was pretty aware of."

In Week 1 against Buffalo, the Cardinals attempted a run on their penultimate play while trailing by six points. However, against Detroit, their running game struggled significantly. Although Petzing did not address this directly, statistics show that excluding Kyler Murray's carries, the team averaged only 2.5 yards per carry. James Conner managed just 1.9 yards per carry on nine attempts.

During their first drive of the final quarter from their own 12-yard line, they advanced to their 48 before two incomplete passes on third-and-6 and fourth-and-6 halted progress. On their next possession starting at their own 9-yard line, three straight incompletions from their own 28 led to a punt. Their final drive began at their own 7-yard line and ended with a field goal after reaching Detroit's 26-yard line.

Coach Jonathan Gannon emphasized Monday that winning games with passing is crucial when the running game falters. However, he noted that success becomes more challenging when the ground game is ineffective as it was against Detroit.

"The scheme could've been better from a coaching standpoint, the timing of some of the calls we'd like to have back," Petzing said. "There is definitely an execution piece to it... they got the better half of us on that part of the game."