Oct 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before their game against the Tennessee Titans at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals just suffered an all-time loss at the hands of the lowly Tennessee Titans.

In the aftermath of such an epic defeat, the easiest thing to do is find scapegoats.

Is it offensive coordinator Drew Petzing? The Cardinals' offensive attack seems so juiceless and unthreatening, given the weapons they have. Is it third-string running back Emari Demarcado dropping the ball before crossing the goal line? Head coach Jonathan Gannon seemed to think so, based on their sideline interaction after the fact. Maybe, above all, it was safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson for facilitating one of the wildest, topsy-turvy touchdowns we've ever seen?

Just ... how do you NOT hold onto the ball in that situation? Come on, dude.

The correct answer here is probably "all of the above." Which means the Cardinals, in general, lost in true doofus fashion as they slowly self-combusted while blowing a 21-3 lead because it was a team effort. That's arguably even worse when you can't blame (scapegoat) one person.

But let's not excuse Kyler Murray (or his center, Hjalte Froholdt, or both).

Lost in the shuffle of the Cardinals' collapse was a late third-quarter fumble that bounced off Murray's facemask with Arizona in the red zone. Yes, Murray dropped the ball, but it almost seemed like the snap from Froholdt came earlier than he was expecting. Do the Cardinals still lose if they're at least able to get a field goal out of that possession?

I'd venture to guess that, at the very least, they don't collapse entirely!

For what it's worth, Murray characterized this sequence as a "miscommunication," according to ESPN.

That tracks. It's also unacceptable from both center and quarterback in that kind of high-leverage, potential scoring situation. Whatever the case, the Cardinals lost like a team on Sunday. That's their problem in a nutshell.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kyler Murray's facemask fumble helped doom Cardinals

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect