“We’re probably not going to video it and put it out for everybody to see, but he’s going to get one [Tuesday],” O’Connell said. “I probably should’ve given him one [Sunday] just because of his game-changing effort and the way he left it all out there.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold took a season-high five sacks against the Cardinals, including three sacks that ended drives on third downs during a lackluster first half. Coaching played a pivotal role. Darnold was sacked four times when facing Cardinals blitzes, which were often disguised before the snap and delayed. They led to late reactions by left guard Blake Brandel, running back Cam Akers, and Darnold, who needed to throw quicker against an overload blitz before halftime.
Right tackle Brian O’Neill tipped a cap to two former Vikings assistant coaches: Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Arizona averaged 2.4 sacks over 10 games before a Week 11 bye, and have now had back-to-back games with five sacks against Seattle in Minnesota.
“Didn’t necessarily feel like guys were getting beat,” O’Neill said. “They have good coaches, too. I got a lot of respect for their head coach and their defensive coordinator as well. We were able to make some adjustments at halftime, and I think we saw improvement throughout the game.”