Yes, the Arizona Cardinals are 0-2 and yes, they are unanimously considered as the worst team in the entire National Football League.
But for a team that has been so highly criticized, the Cardinals simply are not that bad.
The weirdest part of it all? On paper, this truly should be the worst team in football, but something is working and a big piece of that is backup-turned-starter Joshua Dobbs.
A former Pittsburgh Steelers QB, Dobbs never got a real opportunity in the past, playing in only six games in five years. Moving to Tennessee later in the 2022 season gave him the ability to start two games and put his career totals at a mere eight appearances in roughly five seasons prior to coming to Phoenix (ProFootballReference.com)
Head coach Jonathan Gannon gave Dobbs, also a part time rocket scientist at NASA, the starting job over rookie Clayton Tune, a fifth rounder out of the University of Houston. Though franchise quarterback Kyler Murray may return from an ACL injury at some point in the 2023 season, the rocket scientist has the ability to permanently win the job, even with limited in-game experience.
Through his first two games in Arizona, the Cardinals have fallen by scores of 20-16 and 31-28, respectively. Not once were they blown out of the water, and in their second contest of the season they possessed a 28-7 lead over the New York Giants before ultimately falling apart and losing. Neither of these losses were on Dobbs, with the latter of the two being attributed more to the lack of defense that led to New York going on a run of 24 unanswered points.
What has impressed me with Dobbs is his mobility. He has consistently played as a QB that likes to get out of the pocket and make throws on the run and his accuracy while doing so is extremely impressive. Putting other starters to shame, his tosses on the run tend to be on tight ropes and very precise.
On top of his playing style, his all around work ethic is any coach’s dream. The former Tennessee Volunteer visibly gives every play his all and scored a massive touchdown this past Sunday largely in part to his never give up mentality. Scrambling out of the pocket, running up the middle and taking on many tough hits, the QB was able to sneak into the end zone and put his team up 14 in the first half.
Not only passing the eye test, his statistical performance has been equally as solid, running for 38 yards and a touchdown and throwing for an even 360 and another score across the two games. His passer rating has been a little underwhelming, but his overall QBR (quarterback rating) sits slightly above typical scores at 52.5 (ProFootballReference.com). In time these will surely improve, especially once Gannon begins to trust his QB to use his arm more often.
In total, Dobbs has been electric this year with the Cardinals. Giving the team the spark that they needed, he has contributed to much of their early-season success that has them vying for wins each week despite a weaker roster and coaching staff.
Old projections are no more, as this Cardinals team—initially thought to finish with one to two wins—could very well go .500. Even more, there is a chance that Arizona sneaks into the playoffs, largely in part to their QB #9.
