Cardinals come up empty on four tries from the 4-yard line in loss to Giants

Arizona ran four plays from the Giants' 4 in the final 27 seconds without scoring, falling to 1-3 while New York reached 3-1 atop the NFC East.

The Arizona Cardinals ran four plays from the New York 4-yard line in the closing seconds Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., and never reached the end zone. The failed final drive sealed a third consecutive loss that dropped Arizona to 1-3, and it came against a Giants team guided by backup quarterback Jameis Winston. Arizona's defense had already done much of the damage itself, with repeated coverage busts and penalties.

The offense carried the weight of Arizona's expectations. After back-to-back losses to Super Bowl contenders, the optimistic case for these Cardinals rested on big-name playmakers and a highly touted new play-caller, head coach Mike LaFleur. "This one's gonna sting," LaFleur said. "It's not gonna be the most fun ride home." In the locker room, Michael Wilson, Jacoby Brissett and Marvin Harrison Jr. sat a few feet apart in silence, until Harrison quietly tried to make sense of one fourth-quarter play.

Arizona's real first chance came one snap before the goal line. On third-and-6 from the 22, Brissett placed a back-shoulder throw on Harrison in exactly the kind of contested situation the receiver is supposed to win, and the ball bounced off his arms. He was saved only because cornerback Deonte Banks brushed his arm as the two went up for the ball, drawing a pass-interference penalty that put the Cardinals at the 4 with 27 seconds remaining.

The best look came on the first snap. LaFleur used a three-tight-end formation and a play-action pass he said was built off a play from earlier in the game; the Giants bit on the fake and left Trey McBride open in the flat. Brissett found him late with a rusher closing, and his throw hit the turf short of the target. "I missed that," Brissett said. "I didn't get my head around fast enough off the play fake."

Second down was designed as a run to Tyler Allgeier, who was on the field ahead of Jeremiyah Love for pass-protection reasons, LaFleur said. When the Giants aligned to sell out against the run, Arizona checked into a pass. Wilson, the first read on an out route, never found space and could not pull in a difficult catch. "I think I should've went inside and maybe that would've made it a little bit of a cleaner route," Wilson said. Kendrick Bourne was open only for an instant on a pivot route, and Harrison was well covered on a crossing route.

Third down offered little more. Brissett tried McBride on another out route that was smothered, and the bunch of Wilson, Harrison and Bourne to his right had no separation. Waiting was risky as well, since right tackle Elijah Wilkinson had been beaten to the inside and a sack loomed.

On fourth down, the Giants dropped two defensive tackles into coverage to clutter the middle, and backup right guard Jon Gaines was beaten quickly to add pressure. The call was built for Wilson on a slant against Banks. "We called the play for (Wilson)," Brissett said. "And thought he was going to get the edge and be able to get inside."

Banks had anticipated that slant all game, and the Cardinals had proved him wrong all afternoon: Wilson finished with seven catches and a team-high 95 yards, mostly on routes breaking toward the sideline. On the snap that decided it, Banks planted himself inside the slant, smothered it and came down with an interception that he returned for a touchdown to end the game. "I could've forced the inside release," Wilson said. "And he made a good play. Good coverage rep." The win moved the Giants to 3-1, atop the NFC East.

Assigning blame is not simple. The finish raised questions about LaFleur's playcalling, receivers who struggled to shake coverage, Brissett's progression through his reads and, more broadly, whether general manager Monti Ossenfort did enough to fortify the offensive line.