Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals: 5 things we know

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians watches his team take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeat the Buccaneers 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-1 and heading back east to face the Buffalo Bills this Sunday

The Arizona Cardinals played subpar football in week one and still had a chance to win the game at the end against the New England Patriots. In week two, they dominated on both sides of the ball en route to a 40-7 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So what do we know about the Cardinals now? There is still a lot of season left. The Cardinals get their first road test of the season.

Sure, it’s Buffalo but they are a team hungry for a win starting the season 0-2. They’ve lost both of their games this season by six points. They are in games.

They just fired their offensive coordinator. So what does the Bills offense look like this week? No matter what happens this week, we likely still won’t know everything there is to know about this season’s Cardinals squad.

After two games though, there are some things we have been able to decipher about what we should expect to see the rest of the season. At the very least we know some things about the 2016 Cardinals that we didn’t know a week ago.

Sep 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) and center A.Q. Shipley (53) set the play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeat the Buccaneers 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Carson Palmer is just fine

The offense looked sharper in the victory over the Bucs on Sunday. Palmer threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday.

Palmer is yet to turn the ball over, although he’s narrowly missed three interceptions over the first couple of weeks. However, he still has a zero in the interception column and that’s all anyone should care about.

After two games, Palmer has thrown five touchdowns and zero interceptions. How he got there or what could have happened doesn’t matter one bit. Yes, people will continue to harp on it but until mistakes hurt the Cardinals on the scoreboard, he’s alright in my book.

He continues to find a number of targets. He targeted nine players for passes on Sunday. He knows how to spread the ball around. He can still throw the deep ball, evidenced by his 51-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jaron Brown.

Sep 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive back Marcus Cooper (41) intercepts a pass and returns it for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Cooper is a starting cornerback

If Marcus Cooper isn’t starting at cornerback this week at Buffalo, something’s wrong. Cooper, who just arrived a couple of weeks ago via trade from the Kansas City Chiefs, had quite a game this past Sunday.

He clearly played a better game than rookie Brandon Williams did the week prior against New England, getting two interceptions. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown. Cooper has earned himself the spot for now.

For his part, Williams did play better against the Bucs. However starting Cooper over Williams right now gives Williams a chance to continue to learn while still getting some playing time.

This could end up being a week by week thing, however it is clear for now that Cooper is the man to start opposite Patrick Peterson. Williams will still get playing time. Remember, he’s still learning, so we all need to give him a little slack.

Sep 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) breaks the tackle of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves (28) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals need to continue to use both Johnsons

David Johnson is going to be a star in this league. He can run, he can catch. We know this. What we also found out is that according to coach Bruce Arians, is that he has made some mental errors.

Enter Chris Johnson. He only carried the ball once in week on against the Patriots. However he actually ended up carrying the ball more against the Bucs than David Johnson.

Chris Johnson carried the ball 16 times for 54 yards versus David Johnson’s 12 carries for 45 yards. David Johnson also had three receptions for 98 yards.

The Cardinals have expressed desire to get David Johnson at least 25 touches a game. I get that, but let’s not wear the guy out, especially when you have Chris Johnson running hard behind him.

As we saw, utilizing both Johnsons is the best route to take. David Johnson is a beast and Chris Johnson can take hard hits as we saw on Sunday.

Sep 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) takes the field to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Pass rush is still missing in action for most part

I know the stat sheet says the Cardinals had two sacks of Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston on Sunday. One sack for Markus Golden and one for Chandler Jones. Both are linebackers. Where are the defensive linemen?

Most of the afternoon the Cardinals could not create any kind of pass rush. They allowed Winston to take his time.

We need to see more from Calais Campbell (although he did get hurt during the game Sunday), Ed Stinson, and Josh Mauro. Injuries kept Frostee Rucker and Robert Nkemdiche out last Sunday.

This is a problem though that was supposed to be corrected. It doesn’t seem to be yet. The season is still young but all of these games count.

If the Cardinals are not able to create any kind of pass rush, it will likely cost them a game or two down the road. Winston made mistakes on Sunday but he had time to make them for the most part.

Aug 12, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals long snapper Kameron Canaday (86) against the Oakland Raiders during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Long snapper is an issue

I know, long snapper Kameron Canaday is a rookie. I just spent time telling everyone to give cornerback Brandon Williams time.

Canaday is the only long snapper on the roster, Williams is not the only cornerback. He still struggled in week two.

While kicker Chandler Catanzaro was able to connect on both field goal attempts on Sunday, he did miss an extra point. Part of the issue was a low snap.

Although a good kicker should be able to adjust to a bad or low snap, it throws timing off. I have a hard time believing if the struggles for Canaday continue, he won’t be around long.

Canaday beat another rookie Danny Dillon in camp. Does he get another look if Canaday struggles? I’m not sure what else is out there right now. Cardinals probably give Canaday another couple of weeks to try to adjust.