Falcons trade Ridder to Cardinals for Moore

The Atlanta Falcons are trading quarterback Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for wideout Rondale Moore, the teams announced Thursday.

The trade is pending passed physicals.

Ridder became expendable when the Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal reportedly worth $180 million.

Ridder started 13 games in 2023 but played in two additional contests. The 24-year-old was benched twice in favor of veteran Taylor Heinicke during the Falcons’ 7-10 campaign.

The 2022 third-rounder finished the season with 2,836 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He added 193 yards and five scores on the ground but had 12 fumbles.

Ridder owns an 8-9 record as a starter through two NFL seasons. He has completed 64% of his passes and posted an 84.1 passer rating.

Moore, meanwhile, has 1,450 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns in 39 career games. The 2021 second-round pick has also contributed in the return game with 182 yards on 22 punt returns and 291 yards on 13 kick returns.

He’s the latest offensive weapon to join the Falcons, who also reportedly agreed to a three-year, $39-million pact with wide receiver Darnell Mooney.

Cardinals to sign Jonah Williams to 2-year, $30M deal

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to sign former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Williams to a two-year, $30-million deal that contains $19 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Williams is set to replace veteran tackle D.J. Humphries after he was released Wednesday. The move will also put Williams at right tackle, while Paris Johnson Jr. will play left tackle, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The former first-round pick started 59 games for the Bengals since they selected him 11th overall in 2019.

Williams played right tackle last season after the Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. in the offseason, but he served on the left side to begin his career.

Seahawks rally for 21-20 win over Cardinals, but still miss out on playoffs after Packers win

Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes and the Seattle Seahawks rallied for a 21-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but the Seahawks still missed the playoffs after the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears earlier in the afternoon.

Arizona’s Matt Prater missed a 51-yard field attempt, wide right, at the buzzer. It was his second missed field goal of the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks came into Week 18 of this regular season in a familiar position, needing a win in the finale and some help from another team to squeeze into the playoffs. It worked out last season after the Seahawks beat the Rams and the Lions beat the Packers.

This time around, it didn’t.

The Seahawks had to beat the Cardinals and hope the Bears could upset the Packers. The games were played at roughly the same time on Sunday and both were tight, but the Packers polished off their 17-9 win — knocking the Seahawks out of postseason contention — midway through the fourth quarter of the Arizona-Seattle game.

Around that same time, the Cardinals made their move against the Seahawks with some trickery. On fourth-and-3 at the Seattle 8, the Cardinals looked like they were going to settle for a field goal, but Prater abruptly moved over to receiver as quarterback Kyler Murray sprinted back under center.

Murray then found McBride in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown and a 20-13 lead. Murray finished with 262 yards passing.

The Seahawks rallied on their final offensive drive, despite knowing they were eliminated from the playoff bracket. Smith hit Tyler Lockett for a 34-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left, cutting the margin to 20-19.

Seattle then converted a 2-point conversion, with Smith finding Lockett in the back of the end zone.

Conner tied it at 13-all early in the third quarter with a 29-yard touchdown run, slicing through Seattle’s defense without much resistance. He finished with 1,040 yards rushing this season — despite missing four games with a knee injury — topping the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

Arizona (4-13) had a 3-5 record after Murray returned at mid-season following an 11-month layoff due to an ACL tear in his right knee. Seattle (9-8) misses the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Smith threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks inched ahead 3-0 in the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal from Jason Myers. The Cardinals responded to tie the game early in the second on Prater’s 23-yard kick.

Seattle scored the first touchdown of the afternoon on a 19-yard pass from Smith to a wide open Will Dissly for a 10-3 lead. It was Arizona’s second blunder in coverage during the drive after Lockett caught an uncontested pass for a 37-yard gain.

Myers made his second field goal of the first half — this one from 29 yards out — at the halftime buzzer for a 13-6 lead.

INJURIES

Seahawks: Starting RT Abe Lucas (knee) was among seven inactives. LB Jordyn Brooks (ankle) returned after missing the Steelers game last week, but was shaken up after making a nice play in pass coverage. He eventually returned. TE Noah Fant and S Julian Love both left with hand injuries in the first quarter. Love returned while Fant did not.

Cardinals: Rookie CB Garrett Williams (knee) was among six inactives.

Gannon believes Kyler will be Cardinals’ QB in 2024

There’s zero doubt in Jonathan Gannon’s mind that Kyler Murray will be the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback in 2024.

“I’ve been (convinced) since I got here,” Gannon said Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “What the guy’s done for us, the player that he is, the person that he is, the competitor that he is, I kind of chuckled. That’s been my view since I got here.”

There had been speculation that the Cardinals could move on from Murray in 2024 if Gannon wanted a quarterback of his picking. Arizona currently holds the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

However, Gannon spoke at length about the great relationship and trust he has with Murray.

“I love the fact that he feels he doesn’t have to tell me anything, the fact that he comes to me and just thinks that my opinion matters means a lot,” Gannon said.

The Cardinals have gone 4-12 this season but are 3-4 since Kyler Murray returned from an ACL tear he suffered last year. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrown nine touchdowns to five interceptions while also leading two fourth-quarter comebacks, including one last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Murray throws 3 TD passes as Cardinals rally past Eagles, disrupt Philly’s playoff path

James Conner ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining, Kyler Murray threw three TD passes, and the Arizona Cardinals rallied from a 15-point deficit to stun Philadelphia 35-31 on Sunday and disrupt the Eagles’ playoff path.

Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon returned to Philly and got his biggest win yet as Arizona’s coach. Granted, there haven’t been many of them for the Cardinals (4-12). But the playoff-bound Eagles’ fourth loss this month — and second at home — was a huge setback to their standing in the NFC.

The Eagles (11-5) could have won the NFC East with wins against Arizona and the New York Giants next week. Now, Dallas can win the division with a win next week at Washington, and San Francisco has locked up the top seed in the conference.

Jalen Hurts, who threw three touchdown passes, was picked off in the end zone on a desperate heave to end the game.

The Eagles have played every bit like a team facing a potential one-and-done in the postseason rather than one that could make a second straight trip to the Super Bowl.

There was plenty of blame to go around: a discombobulated offense that included indecisive play-calling late in the game, a running game that never got going and a defense that couldn’t get off the field.

The Cardinals rallied from a 21-6 halftime deficit on the strength of Murray’s two touchdown passes in the third quarter that tied the game at 21-all.

Hurts put the Eagles ahead in the fourth with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert.

Normally, that would be enough to win a game at the Linc. But Philly’s defense couldn’t hold on. Cornerback Kelee Ringo was flagged for pass interference and the Cardinals used the extra 29 yards to help tie game 28-28 with 5:26 left. Murray hit Michael Wilson for a 5-yard touchdown, giving Arizona three touchdowns on three possessions in the half.

Jake Elliott kicked a 43-yard field goal with 2:33 left to give the Eagles their last lead.

Murray had plenty of time to move the Cardinals into scoring position. He hit Greg Dorch for a 36-yard gain that brought Arizona to the Eagles 5 and set up Conner’s decisive TD.

The Cardinals had 449 total yards of offense.

Justin Fields throws for a TD, runs for another score, leading the Bears past Cardinals 27-16

Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another score, and the Chicago Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-16 on Sunday night.

Tight end Cole Kmet caught four passes for a career-high 107 yards despite missing the second half because of a knee injury.

Khalil Herbert ran for a season-high 112 yards and a touchdown, and the Bears (6-9) got the bounce-back win they were seeking coming off a late collapse at Cleveland a week earlier.

Chicago scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the first half to go up 21-0 against Arizona (3-12). The Bears hung on after blowing a 10-point lead in a 20-17 loss to the Browns, though things got tight in the closing minutes.

The Cardinals cut it to 24-16 with 6:37 remaining on Kyler Murray’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dortch, though the 2-point conversion pass was incomplete. Chicago’s Cairo Santos kicked a 29-yard field goal with just over a minute to play.

The Bears finished with 420 yards, including 250 rushing after being held to 88 against Cleveland.

Fields completed 15 of 27 passes for 170 yards after throwing for 166 the previous week. He added 97 yards rushing.

Fields scored from the 3 on Chicago’s second possession and threw a 1-yard TD to Marcedes Lewis in the second quarter that made it 21-0. He also had the longest run by a Bears player this season when he broke off a 39-yarder to the 14 in the fourth, only to be intercepted by Starling Thomas V in the end zone on the next play.

Kmet needed just two quarters to surpass his previous high of 87 yards in a loss at Pittsburgh in 2021. He helped set up the game’s first TD with a diving 53-yard catch, and his 29-yarder on the next drive led to Fields’ TD pass to Lewis.

Herbert ran for an 11-yard score early in the second quarter.

Murray threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns in his sixth game since his return from a torn ACL in 2022 that caused him to miss roughly 11 months.

James Conner caught five passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 45, and the Cardinals finished with 93 yards rushing after racking up 234 in a blowout loss to San Francisco.

INJURIES

Cardinals: LB Zaven Collins suffered a foot injury in the first half. … DE Jonathan Ledbetter (knee) was helped to the sideline early in the fourth quarter.

Bears: WR DJ Moore went to the medical tent with an ankle injury after the game’s second play from scrimmage. He returned late in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Visit Philadelphia on Dec. 31.

Bears: Host Atlanta on Dec. 31.

McCaffrey scores 3 TDs and 49ers roll past Cardinals for 6th straight win

Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns, Charvarius Ward had two interceptions — including a pick-6 — and the San Francisco 49ers pushed their winning streak to six games with a 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy — making his first NFL start at State Farm Stadium, which is about 45 miles from where he grew up — completed 16 of 25 passes for 242 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns. He also shook off a hard hit in the second quarter that caused him to miss a few plays.

During their winning streak, the 49ers (11-3) have won all of their games by at least 12 points. They’ve also won 12 straight against divisional opponents in the NFC West.

McCaffrey scored his second touchdown early in the third quarter, sneaking out of the backfield for a 41-yard score and a 28-13 lead. The running back was so wide open that he leaped for the catch, fell down, and still had enough time to get to his feet and sprint to the end zone.

He made it there a third time later in the third quarter after plowing ahead 1-yard for the touchdown and a 35-16 advantage. Deebo Samuel followed with his second touchdown catch in the fourth, a 19-yard reception that made it 42-22.

The 27-year-old McCaffrey finished with five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 115 yards and a score.

Ward put the 49ers ahead for good when he stepped in front of Trey McBride to grab Kyler Murray’s pass after the Cardinals (3-11) decided to go for it on fourth-and-3. The cornerback ran 66 yards the other way for a 14-7 lead, pulling away from a pair of Arizona defenders.

The mistake ended Murray’s streak of 96 passes without an interception.

Arizona’s Matt Prater cut the margin to 14-13 by making two field goals in the second quarter, one from 58 yards and another from 43.

Purdy briefly left during the second quarter with a left shoulder stinger after a big hit from Arizona’s Dennis Gardeck, who was called for a 15-yard penalty. But the quarterback returned later in the drive and hit McCaffrey for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:14 left before halftime for a 21-13 lead.

Murray completed 26 of 39 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Cardinals are 2-3 since he returned from a ACL tear in his right knee last month.

Emari Demercado added a 49-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. McBride caught 10 passes for 102 yards.

The Cardinals ran for 234 yards, finding some holes in the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense.

Arizona got off to a hot start with Murray finding McBride twice for a total of 49 yards through the air before James Conner ran for a 2-yard touchdown, capping an efficient seven-play, 75-yard march.

But the 49ers weren’t down long, responding with their own touchdown drive that ended with Purdy hitting a wide-open Samuel for a 12-yard touchdown.

INJURIES

49ers: CB Deommodore Lenoir (ribs) left in the second half and didn’t return.

Cardinals: TE Geoff Swain (calf) left in the second quarter and didn’t return. … WR Marquise Brown (heel) was also injured in the first half.

UP NEXT

49ers: Home vs. Baltimore on Dec. 25.

Cardinals: At Chicago next Saturday.

Conner scores twice against his old team, Pickett hurt as Cardinals beat Steelers

James Conner ran for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns against his old team as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Steelers 24-10 on Sunday, the franchise’s first win at Pittsburgh since 1969.

Arizona (3-10) took control late in the first half with a 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 5-yard strike from Kyler Murray to Trey McBride. The Cardinals led the rest of the way, enduring a pair of lengthy delays due to severe weather.

Pittsburgh (7-5) saw all the progress shown by its offense a week earlier in a win over Cincinnati vanish. The Steelers lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to an ankle injury late in the first half and scored their only touchdown in garbage time.

Pickett wore a boot on his right foot during the second half while backup Mitch Trubisky took over and struggled to do much of anything as the Steelers let a chance to strengthen their position in the AFC playoff race slip away.

There is no postseason in the offing for rebuilding Arizona, but the Cardinals showed some fight while improving to 2-2 since Murray’s return from a torn ACL in his right knee.

Murray completed 13 of 23 passes for 145 yards and had 19 yards rushing. Arizona’s defense bounced back from a nightmarish showing against the Rams a week ago in which it was lit up for 37 points and 452 yards.

Pittsburgh had hoped to build on its win over the Bengals, the team’s first game since firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada and replacing him with Eddie Faulkner.

Instead, the Steelers took another step backward as the NFL’s 28th-ranked scoring offense continued to have trouble finding the end zone.

Trubisky completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown to Diontae Johnson.

The turning point came in the second quarter with the Steelers deep in Arizona territory. Pickett was tackled just short of the goal line while scrambling on third down, and Cardinals defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter fell on Pickett’s legs.

Pickett tried to get up only to kneel on the turf. He was taken to the locker room for evaluation and then ruled out.

Trubisky entered and the Steelers opted to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Najee Harris was stuffed for no gain and the Cardinals responded with a 15-play, 99-yard drive — most of it in a driving rain — that ended with a dart from Murray to McBridge.

Officials extended halftime for over 30 minutes as a round of storms swept through. The teams returned briefly, long enough for Steelers center Mason Cole to butcher a snap to Trubisky. The Cardinals fell on it and, eight plays later, Conner — a star at the University of Pittsburgh who then spent four seasons with the Steelers from 2017-20 — bulled over from a yard out to make it 17-3.

The game was paused again — this time for 53 minutes — but there was no spark from Pittsburgh as the Steelers entered a short week with plenty of questions to answer on offense.

Again.

INJURIES

Cardinals: RB Emari Demercado left with a neck injury in the first quarter after taking an illegal hit from Steelers LB Elandon Roberts and did not return. … WR Marquise Brown left in the third quarter with a heel injury.

Steelers: Roberts exited in the second quarter with a groin injury and briefly returned before leaving again for good. … LG Isaac Seumalo left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Off next week before hosting NFC West-leading San Francisco on Dec. 17.

Steelers: Host New England (2-11) on Thursday night.

Stafford throws season-high 4 TDs as Rams roll over Cardinals

Matthew Stafford threw for 229 yards and a season-high four touchdown passes, two each to Tyler Higbee and Kyren Williams, and the Los Angeles Rams rolled to a 37-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Williams had a huge game in his return from an ankle injury, running for 143 yards and catching six passes for 61 yards, including touchdown receptions of 15 and 3 yards. Los Angeles scored 30 unanswered points after falling behind 8-7 in the first quarter.

The Rams (5-6) won their second straight game overall and continued their recent dominance in the NFC West rivalry, winning nine straight games in Arizona going back to 2014.

Los Angeles took a 21-8 lead at halftime. Arizona thought it had cut the margin to 10 points on Matt Prater’s 56-yard field goal just before the break, but it was negated by a holding call.

The Rams stretched their lead to 37-8 by midway through the fourth quarter.

L.A. moved the ball with ease during most of the first half and had 287 yards. The Rams scored a touchdown on the opening drive, covering 75 yards on nine plays, capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Higbee. Stafford kept the drive alive on third-and-8 when he threw a perfectly placed ball to Tutu Atwell, who caught it over his shoulder for a 42-yard gain.

The Cardinals (2-10) responded with a long touchdown drive that ended on the 12th play when quarterback Kyler Murray ran 2 yards to the end zone. Arizona jumped ahead 8-7 after backup quarterback Clayton Tune pushed the pile for a 2-point conversion.

It was one of the few highlights for Arizona, which has lost eight of its past nine. Murray completed 27 of 45 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown in his third game since returning from an ACL tear in his right knee.

Arizona is 1-2 in those games, beating the Falcons but losing to the Texans and Rams. This setback was one of the most embarrassing of the season — the Cardinals showed little fight after the first quarter.

L.A. jumped back ahead 14-8 in the second when Stafford hit Higbee for another touchdown, this time on a 5-yard score. Stafford’s 15-yard pass to Williams made it 21-8 with 59 seconds left in the first half.

It was Williams’ second standout game this season against the Cardinals. He ran for 158 yards and a touchdown in a 26-9 win in Week 6, but hurt his ankle late in that game, which caused him to miss the next four games while on injured reserve.

Williams was one of the team’s most productive players during the season’s early weeks, running for 456 yards over his first six games. His return gives the Rams — who won the Super Bowl two seasons ago — hope that they can make a late-season playoff push.

Veteran quarterback Carson Wentz made his Rams’ debut late in the game after being signed two weeks ago.

INJURIES

Cardinals WR Michael Wilson (shoulder) and CB Antonio Hamilton (groin) were among the team’s inactives. … Cardinals CB Starling Thomas V (ankle) left in the third quarter and didn’t return. … Rams S Quentin Lake (hamstring) was one of six inactives.

UP NEXT

Rams: Host Cleveland on Sunday.

Cardinals: Travel to face Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Stroud will stay aggressive after 3 INTs in win: ‘Steph Curry don’t ever stop shooting’

C.J. Stroud was asked if he’d think twice about making certain throws after he was intercepted a season-high three times in Houston’s win over Arizona.

“Steph Curry don’t ever stop shooting, you know, I mean,” the Texans’ standout rookie said. “I don’t have no shame in my game. I’ve definitely got to be smarter, but no confidence is taken away from me and I’m going to keep letting it fly.”

Stroud threw for 336 yards with two touchdowns, and the Texans overcame his mistakes to beat the Cardinals 21-16 on Sunday.

“You’re going to have miscues, you’re going to have bad plays, but it’s all about how you respond to those plays,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So we will continue to highlight all the positive things that C.J. is doing. And then we’ll also coach him up on those negative plays.”

Stroud’s 2,962 yards passing are the fourth-most ever in a player’s first 10 games, and he joined Joe Burrow as the only rookies in NFL history with 300 or more yards passing in three consecutive games.

The Texans (6-4) have doubled their win total from last season and have won three games in a row for the first time since a nine-game streak in 2018.

Stroud was asked about the team exceeding expectations.

“It’s not about what everybody else thinks or what they thought we were going to be at this point,” he said. “It’s about what we go and put on that field.”

The Cardinals (2-9) had a chance to win late. Kyler Murray threw a deep pass on fourth-and-8 that was intended for Marquise Brown, but Steven Nelson batted it down with 35 seconds left.

Houston didn’t score after halftime and Stroud was picked off on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter. He had thrown just two interceptions in his first nine games.

Houston’s Tank Dell had a season-high 149 yards on eight receptions and set a franchise rookie record with his sixth touchdown catch.

Murray threw for 214 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his second game back after recovering from a torn ACL. He also rushed for 51 yards and a score.

“The defense did what they needed to do, and we didn’t hold up our end of the bargain,” Murray said. “That’s frustrating. I feel like we had too many opportunities not to win the game.”

Murray said he felt like he let the team down.

“We did some good, but there are no moral victories,” he said. “It’s just frustrating.”

So, is there any optimism for these Cardinals, who are tied with New England for the second-fewest wins in the NFL?

“Not right now,” Murray said.

The Cardinals failed to convert on fourth down at the Houston 45 with about 7 1/2 minutes to go. But Stroud was intercepted again on the ensuing drive when Antonio Hamilton Sr. hopped in front of Dell.

Murray scored on a 1-yard run with about three minutes left in the third quarter to get the Cardinals within 21-16, but his run for the 2-point conversion was short.

The Cardinals were stopped on fourth-and-3 from the Houston 23 early in the fourth quarter. After a Houston punt, the Cardinals fumbled on the return and the Texans recovered at the Arizona 31.

Stroud was then intercepted in the end zone by Krys Barnes.

Stroud got a pass off under heavy pressure and found Dell in the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown that made it 21-10 just before halftime.

“We just worked on that drill at practice — the scramble drill,” Dell said. “Basically like backyard football.”

Dell leaped into the crowd and was pulled into the stands where he stood among a group of cheering fans for a few seconds before returning to the field.

Soon, chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” rained down on Stroud, who has completely transformed this team just 10 games into his career.

The Cardinals took an early lead when Rondale Moore caught a 48-yard touchdown pass on their first drive.

Houston tied it when Stroud connected with Dalton Schultz on a 20-yard TD pass with about six minutes left in the first quarter.

Matt Prater’s 57-yard field goal put Arizona ahead again.

An 11-yard run by Devin Singletary gave Houston a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter. After the score, Stroud mimicked taking photos while the rest of the offense posed in the end zone.

INJURIES

Cardinals LB Kyzir White injured an elbow in the second quarter. … NT Leki Fotu left with a hand injury in the second quarter. … Hamilton injured his groin on the interception and was carted to the locker room.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Host the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.

Texans: Host Jacksonville next Sunday.