For a team from the desert, the Arizona Cardinals showed the Pittsburgh Steelers how to dominate in the rain.
The Steelers gave the Cardinals their third win of the season — in Week 13 — at Acrisure Stadium, a game with two weather delays as storms rolled through the region. The Cardinals won 24-10.
Arizona sports radio host Dan Bickley said the Cardinals were professional, something he called rare for the team that earned its first road win since last season. Bickley called quarterback Kyler Murray “rock solid in terrible conditions.”
“The Cardinals were spirited and angry. Every tackle seemed to carry a degree of malice,” Bickley wrote. “They kept their focus through a 45-minute halftime delay, and another lengthy pause in the third quarter.”
Incredibly spirited, compelling, enjoyable first half from the Cardinals.
— Dan Bickley (@danbickley) December 3, 2023
Murray told reporters the team was fired up before the game and during the weather delays.
“There was no expectation other than coming out of here with a win, so to do that in a hostile environment … this is a huge win,” he said.
Outside linebacker D.J. Humphries said it was like a party in the locker room during both of the delays in an interview with Jose M. Romero, beat writer for the Arizona Republic.
“To go out there and give them a taste of their medicine, and have success with it, that was great for us,” Humphries said.
The Associated Press’ Will Graves wrote that the Steelers let an opportunity to strengthen its playoff position slip away in the stunning loss. CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo wrote that the Cardinals dominated in all aspects of the game.
“Pittsburgh was woefully outplayed, and when they weren’t being outplayed, they were shooting themselves in the foot with penalties and poor execution,” DeArdo wrote.
Some of that came late in the second quarter when the Cardinals capitalized on the Steelers’ failed touchdown attempt at the 1-yard line. The Cardinals drove through the rain the length of the field to score their own touchdown.
“It’s kind of demoralizing (to the other team) in a sense,” Murray said, according to ESPN. “To go 99 yards and put it in the end zone is tough, especially when we got a goal-line stop.”
It will be interesting to see how the Cards offense operates from its own 1 yard line here.
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) December 3, 2023
Incredible answer from the Arizona Cardinals offense to go 99 yards after the defense's HUGE goal line stand.
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) December 3, 2023
Darren Urban from Word From the Birds credited the Cardinals’ defense for its part in the win.
“No one will confuse Kenny Pickett or Mitch Trubisky with Matthew Stafford, but the way the Cardinals made life hard every time the Steelers had the ball all but made the game over once James Conner scored his first touchdown of the game to make it 17-3,” Urban wrote on azcardinals.com. “The Steelers weren’t coming back from that. Not in this game.”
Running back James Conner, an Erie native and former Pittsburgh Panther and Steeler, told reporters that returning to the Steel City meant a lot to him, according to the Arizona Republic. He scored two touchdowns and ran for 105 yards. He called the win satisfying in a stadium that holds a special place in his heart.
Conner reconnected with former teammates and coaches, as well as stadium workers, during his return.
“They were huge for me and my journey, you know, the lessons that I’ve learned being a Steeler, so valuable. I’ve tried to take them with me to this day,” Conner told reporters after the game. “But a lot of love from everybody.”
James Conner clearly enjoys playing in this stadium.
— José M. Romero (@RomeroJoseM) December 3, 2023
