Jacoby Brissett, injuries, sloppiness and more from Arizona Cardinals loss to Colts

INDIANAPOLIS — The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 6 in the most precarious position of Jonathan Gannon’s tenure.

Despite a weak starting schedule, their record stood at 2-3. They were coming off a miserable loss, in which they blew an 18-point lead to the Tennessee Titans. They were traveling on the road to face the 4-1 Indianapolis Colts. And to top it all off, their franchise quarterback, Kyler Murray, was out with a foot injury.

Yet, somehow, there they were, with 4:26 remaining at Lucas Oil Stadium and 87 yards standing between themselves and a stunning win.

It all came to an end on the Indianapolis 9-yard line, when Jacoby Brissett fired beyond the reach of Trey McBride as the Cardinals' star tight end protested for a holding penalty that never arrived.

The performance, though, was enough to both inject the Cardinals with confidence and raise a series of uncomfortable questions surrounding their quarterback position.

Here are some key takeaways from the 31-27 loss.

Jacoby Brissett commanded the offense well

With Murray sidelined, Brissett was everything the Cardinals needed out of their quarterback.

All day, he was calm and composed in the pocket, standing in against pressure and scanning the field for open receivers. He didn’t have any completions go for over 30 yards, but that lack of an explosive downfield element didn’t impact his effectiveness. It wasn’t all perfect, but he finished the day with 27 completions on 44 attempts for 320 yards — the most from a Cardinals quarterback this season.

That stat line came despite Marvin Harrison Jr. exiting with a concussion in the second quarter, leaving Brissett to rely on Michael Wilson and Zay Jones as his top receivers. Jones led the Cardinals in receiving, with 79 yards.

Brissett’s impressive performance started on the Cardinals' first drive of the game, with a pass that fell incomplete but hinted at what was to come. With pressure in his face, Brissett stood strong and tried to hit Trey McBride on a crossing route — an element that has often been absent from the Cardinals offense, as Murray has struggled to remain composed under pressure in recent weeks.

A drive later, Brissett made his composure count. On third-and-17, he had pressure off the right side of the offensive line but again stood strong and looked for McBride. This time, he layered a perfect ball to the tight end, setting up a touchdown.

All day, that was what Brissett’s best moments looked like. Calm, composed, accurate. Even his interception seemed to come down to external factors, as Zay Jones was bumped off his route as Brissett threw.

Cardinals' injuries keep piling up

Harrison’s concussion is the latest blow to a Cardinals team that has dealt with a non-stop string of injuries in recent weeks.

The injury came as Harrison continued his recent hot stretch.

He entered the game with 156 receiving yards over his past six quarters — a turnaround that began after a miserable first half against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. He only had 32 receiving yards in this one before exiting, but the catch on which he suffered the concussion was impressive. Brissett slightly underthrew him on a deep crossing route, but Harrison made a strong physical catch through contact before his head bounced off the turf.

Harrison was then summoned into the blue medical tent by trainers despite his protests. After a lengthy evaluation, he was walked to the locker room and did not return.

It wasn’t the only injury for the Cardinals. Backup tight end Travis Vokolek was carted off with a neck injury after a scary collision on a kick return. And third-down back Emari Demercado left with an ankle injury.

Those absences can be added to a list of injuries that already includes the Cardinals' top two running backs (James Conner and Trey Benson), first-round pick Walter Nolen, edge rusher B.J. Ojulari and slot corner Garrett Williams.

Cardinals sloppiness continued 

Even as the Cardinals' offense found a better rhythm than it has all season, it continues to struggle with inexplicable sloppiness.

The Cardinals had two false starts, an ineligible man downfield penalty and an illegal formation. Some penalties — think Zay Jones’ first-half facemask as he went up for a contested catch — are inevitable, but these are the infractions that Gannon labels “non-negotiable.”

This season, they’ve happened far too often. Last week, Gannon pinned them on the “details of coaching,” though he defended offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, taking the blame himself. This week, he will again be looking for an answer to those self-inflicted wounds.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Takeaways from Arizona Cardinals loss to Indianapolis Colts