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Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was seen on the sideline tearing into running back Emari Demercado after a major blunder cost the team points late in their loss against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The third-year running back thought he had broken free for a 76-yard touchdown run that would have given Arizona a 21-point lead late in the fourth quarter. It may have been insurmountable, and the touchdown could have thwarted any chance of a Titans comeback.
Instead, Demercado dropped the ball before he reached the goal line. The ball bounced out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a touchback and a turnover.
An animated Gannon was later spotted getting into Demercado’s face while offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. tried to console his teammate.
Gannon called the sloppiness on offense “unacceptable” after the game and was asked about what he told Demercado after the fumble.
“It’s never about one play. We have coaching points that I’m not going to tell you guys now,” he said.
Arizona’s second blunder occurred when they were up nine points with 4:55 to go. It appeared the Cardinals got the game-sealing interception when Dadrion Taylor-Demerson hauled in a tipped Cam Ward pass while Tennessee was in the red zone. But Taylor-Demerson tumbled to the ground and lost the ball.
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From there, it was pinball as multiple Cardinals players tried to recover the fumble, but the ball managed to ricochet its way into the end zone where Titans receiver Tyler Lockett secured it. It was ruled a touchdown because the ball remained live even with the boots from the Cardinals players
The score was now 21-19 and the Cardinals had the opportunity to still salvage a victory despite the horrible mistakes. But after the Titans’ defense forced a punt, Ward had time to get downfield and perhaps allow kicker Joey Slye the chance for the win.
That’s exactly what he did when he found Calvin Ridley on a 38-yard strike to put the Titans at the Cardinals’ 15-yard line. An 11-yard run from running back Tony Pollard secured a chip-shot field goal chance and Slye buried the 29-yarder at the buzzer for the improbable victory.
“Obviously, very disappointing. (It) felt like we had multiple chances to put away the game in all three phases, and we did not do that, so collectively we have to do a better job,” Gannon said. “It feels like that’s now three games in a row that I’m saying the same thing, but until we do a better job, we’re going to keep losing.
“(It’s) never about one play. (It’s) never about one phase. All of us collectively have to do a better job, so that’s what we’ll work on tomorrow. Our sense of urgency and our connectedness is always there. It obviously needs to increase because time’s ticking.”
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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