👋 GOOD MORNING - Happy Monday, everyone. We’re on a short week with the upcoming holiday, but I’m here to invade your inbox for the next three days, at least.

Hold steady, everyone. We only have to endure two more Cardinals games! It’s almost draft season. But Sunday’s game was a brutal one, and it’s time to talk about it.

Away we go!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

The Arizona Cardinals only lost by one score yesterday. That alone is significant progress. Okay, sarcasm doesn’t come across through email very well, does it?

In all honesty, Sunday was ever-so-slightly better than seeing the Cardinals lay down and take a 40-point beating by their opponents. Many fans are probably thrilled by the fact that Arizona’s draft pick stands to benefit with each passing loss.

In case you were wondering, the Cardinals are currently just fifth in the draft order. Apparently, the NFL has this many bad teams this year.

I’m a little more of the opinion that winning is better than losing — but I get it.

The point is, the Cardinals were actually in this game for more than the first three or four minutes. It’s truly astounding (and pretty disappointing) that we’re at the point where that is an achievement, but that’s the life of a 3-12 team, I guess.

Sunday’s game was a better overall effort defensively. The Cardinals held the Falcons to 26 points, kept them under 200 yards passing, and put pressure on Kirk Cousins at a decently high clip (though they only managed one sack). They forced two turnovers and looked to be playing motivated, high-effort football.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to contain Bijan Robinson, who racked up 168 total yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t his most prolific game, but he still made Arizona pay.

But Sunday’s loss comes with consequences — and not in terms of record, playoff hopes or anything of that nature.

The Cardinals suffered one of their most sickening bouts of poor health luck, with two seriously concerning injuries befalling two of their best young defensive players.

DL Walter Nolen III, who’s had a simply brutal season in terms of health, went down with a non-contact injury to his knee. He’s battled that knee previously this season, and was visibly emotional as he was carted off the field.

Arizona’s most impactful defensive lineman this season may be spending some time rehabbing, though Jonathan Gannon did not provide a concrete update. We don’t want to speculate too hard, but judging by the situation (and his reaction) it didn’t look great.

Meanwhile, CB Garrett Williams went down on a non-contact play, as well. His designation was the dreaded “A” word: achilles. Again, we don’t yet know the full severity, but that type of injury never inspires confidence.

And that wasn’t even the extent of it.

C Hjalte Froholdt left with an elbow injury (though he did come back). OLB Josh Sweat exited with an ankle injury. S Budda Baker had to be checked for a concussion.

It’s been that kind of season for the Cardinals (no, Ian Rapoport didn’t force me to type that). But it’s true. While injuries can’t be used as a scapegoat for a letdown of a season, they certainly have been brutal.

With the season already lost, the only thing that could really hurt them Sunday would be losing players to injury. And… that’s what happened. This life is not for the faint of heart.

Still, it’s time to look at some top performances, no matter how gut-wrenching a game it may have been.

TE Elijah Higgins - Led the Cardinals in receiving yards on Sunday, hauling in seven receptions for 91 yards — 13 yards per catch. His total nearly doubled Michael Wilson’s 52 yards as the next closest receiver.

RB Michael Carter - 11 carries for 65 yards (5.9 yards per carry). That may not seem like a lot, but it’s more than what the Cardinals have gotten most weeks out of their RBs this year.

DL Darius Robinson - Robinson looked confident, picked up seven total tackles, forced a TFL and recovered a fumble on fourth down. He’s slowly finding his impact.

CB Denzel Burke - Two tackles and an impressive first-quarter interception off Kirk Cousins.

CB Will Johnson - Johnson had three tackles, but two impressive passes defensed. He was stuck to Drake London all game, and looked impressive in one-on-one coverage. London only managed three catches for 27 yards on the day.

What, did something happen?: Okay, NOW it’s official. Coach Kenny Dillingham isn’t going anywhere. He’s not taking the Michigan job. It’s done. ASU’s head coach signed a five-year extension over the weekend averaging $7.5 million, complete with raises for his staff, as well. More on that later.

Thank goodness for that news, because Bobby Hurley’s hoopers were upset 78-75 by Oregon State at home yesterday, falling to 9-4 on the season.

Still perfect: The No. 1-ranked Wildcat men’s basketball squad struggled out of the gate with San Diego State in Phoenix this weekend, but ultimately pulled away late for a 68-45 win, improving to 11-0. It was a balanced offensive attack, but senior Tobe Awaka had an immense 15 rebounds, with Mo Krivas picking up 13 next to him. Wow.

The Wildcat women play a noon game against 9-3 Utah at McKale Center today.

Minor Reunions: The Diamondbacks brought back a couple of 2025’s contributors on minor league deals this week. Right-hander John Curtiss returns to the D-backs’ bullpen, while Ildemaro Vargas is back for his fourth stint in Arizona’s organization.

The D-backs did make a trade, sending lefty reliever Kyle Backhus to the Phillies for High-A outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu (I’m not sure how to pronounce that, either). That deal felt a little strange, even if it was just to make room for Merrill Kelly to officially join the 40-man roster.

Rough Patch: The Suns squandered an early lead in San Francisco, falling to the Golden State Warriors for a disappointing 119-116 loss after winning 99-98 over Golden State at home one game prior. Devin Booker exploded for 38 points, but it wasn’t enough for Phoenix, who fall to 15-13.

Okay, seriously, you have to watch this: