There were small victories in the Cardinals loss to the Falcons

ATLANTA — In a season filled with a death, a suspension, a contract dispute, a homework clause, a few torn ligaments, some firings, a leave of absence and 11 losses, the Cardinals were due a good story.

And they nearly received one Sunday from someone who wasn’t on the roster three weeks ago, who was playing for his third team since training camp opened last summer, who hadn’t thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game in two years, and who had one entire practice in which to prepare for his first start since 2019.

The news came cloaked in a 12th loss, a 20-19 festival of field goals against the Falcons. But at least the Cardinals were competent at times Sunday, which they haven't been for most of the season.

Who was partly responsible for that? Meet David Blough, which rhymes with “how,” as in how does a quarterback look so competent given all the above?

Blough is the fourth quarterback to start in the last four weeks for the Cardinals, and he justified coach Kliff Kingsbury’s decision to promote him over Trace McSorley, who didn’t show much last week when replacing Colt McCoy, who had replaced Kyler Murray.

Blough didn't have an inkling he would start until Friday, when McCoy experienced symptoms from a concussion received two weeks prior.

Blough wasn’t spectacular Sunday, and there are reasons he went undrafted out of Purdue and has been on rosters in Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota previously. There also are reasons the Cardinals entered Sunday's game with 11 losses and the Falcons with 10. The scoreboard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium received a much-needed rest Sunday given the 83 points Georgia and Ohio State scored in the college semifinal game that ended 13 hours before.

The Cardinals' only touchdown came after they recovered a fumble at the Falcons 8-yard line.

Enough of what the Cardinals and Blough weren't Sunday. What Blough was, was tough, accurate, agile and smart. He completed 24 of 40 for 222 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t commit a turnover, and he wasn’t the reason the Cardinals lost.

You could ask for more from a guy who hasn’t started since he was a rookie for the Lions in 2019, but you’d be greedy for doing it.

"I thought he handled himself well," Kingsbury said. "The operation was really well done. There are some throws he'd like to have back, but I was impressed by how he handled the situation."

The Cardinals lost for reasons other than their quarterback. Plenty of them.

They gave up a blocked punt that led to a touchdown.

A low snap appeared to have contributed to Matt Prater’s only miss on five field goal attempts.

A shin injury forced running back James Conner out of the game early in the fourth quarter.

The defense that gave up yards at the most inopportune time, including in the final minutes when Atlanta drove 72 yards and kicked a field goal on the last play to win.

For Blough, the game was a personal victory, one that could convince the Cardinals, or other teams, to keep around the league for another few years. Not that he wanted to delve much into personal achievements after a team loss.

Afterward, Blough praised practically everyone in the Cardinals organization. It was a pleasure, he said, handing off to Conner, who rushed for 79 yards and finished with 110 total yards, and throwing it to all the receivers, none named DeAndre Hopkins, who missed the game with a knee injury. And Kingsbury, Blough said, "has been unbelievable for me, the way he sees the game and breaks it down. I know four quarterbacks in four weeks is not an ideal situation. It's not ideal for anybody. He's done an unbelievable job not flinching."

Credit appropriately spread, Blough acknowledged what the game meant to him. "If feels good to be the man in the arena, to have the ball in your hands."

Good things happened Sunday when it was. Not great, but good enough to win. Blough showed the awareness to move around the pocket to buy time. The most impressive example of that came on the last play of the third quarter, when Blough moved up in the pocket to avoid a rusher and complete a 19-yard pass to Marquise Brown.

That possession ended when running back Corey Clement, playing in Conner's place, was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Falcons 44-yard line.

As is his custom, Kingsbury blamed himself for a bad play call.

For months, the Cardinals have not been able to overcome such failures, even against bad teams like the Falcons. On Sunday, they were especially ill-prepared because McCoy and Hopkins were scratched late in the week. And when Conner left late in the third quarter, about 70 percent of the Cardinals offensive firepower went with him.

It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Cardinals and their eighth in nine games. A loss next week to the 49ers in Santa Clara seems inevitable since the 49ers likely will be playing for playoff seeding.

While the game against the Falcons was lost Sunday, the Cardinals left with at least two minor victories. Blough played well enough to suggest he is worth keeping around. And the Cardinals preserved a top five draft status, which could come in handy in trying to rebound from a season memorable only for its misery.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals lose to Atlanta but score some victories, too