ATLANTA -- A few thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals' 29-18 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome.
What it means: This team is in trouble -- there's no way to sugarcoat it. The Cardinals had gone 10 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown until scoring with 1:05 remaining. There were bright spots Sunday, but any momentum gained was derailed by either a penalty late in the second quarter, an interception in the first or a fumble in the second. Some of the issues Arizona had Sunday definitely were a product of not having wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for a second straight game. Drew Stanton's interception, which was a bit high but went off the hands of Jaron Brown, might have been brought down by Fitzgerald. Add in the injuries suffered Sunday, and Arizona is running out of men. The Cardinals lost running back Andre Ellington (left hip) and right tackle Paul Fanaika (ankle) on offense and safety Tyrann Mathieu (left thumb) on defense.
Stock watch: Ted Ginn entered Sunday without a catch in his past two games and had four catches for 61 yards Sunday. He came in as the Cards' fifth receiver, but he was one of very few bright spots for the Cardinals' offense and might have played himself above Jaron Brown on the depth chart.
Can't stop Julio: Even though Patrick Peterson relishes the challenge of defending top receivers, Sunday was not his day against Atlanta's Julio Jones. Jones finished with 10 receptions for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against Peterson, who struggled all day in coverage, either giving Jones too much of a buffer or simply getting outmuscled for passes.
Game ball: Safety Rashad Johnson returned a second-quarter interception 88 yards for a touchdown. It was his fourth pick of the season and his second returned for a score.
What's next: The Cardinals host Kansas City at 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.