Arians, Cardinals eager to get back on field after consecutive losses

Following two consecutive division losses, Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals haven’t lost sight of their goals and, after 10 days off, are eager to get back on the field.

The team faces the Atlanta Falcons Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium and, following their ugly Thursday night loss to the Seattle Seahawks last time out, it’s high time to turn things around, according to coach Bruce Arians.

“(We’ve) got a bad taste in our mouths from two losses and one of our goals was never to lose two in a row and that’s happened and we’ve got to come back on a winning track,” the first-year Cardinals coach told the media Friday, adding that there was “no doubt” his team was excited to get back on the field.

At 3-4 and winless against NFC West opponents, the result of the Cardinals’ Sunday contest could determine the direction of their season. A win would perpetuate playoff hopes heading into their bye week in Week 9 while a loss may send the squad into rebuild mode, with the potential of a switch at quarterback looming.

Arians, along with several of his players, acknowledges the gravity of the contest.

“I don’t know if there’s ever a ‘must (win)’ game,” he said, “but this can get us back into the race for sure and get us even and we’ve got a couple of tiebreakers on some teams that we’ll be even with, so this is huge for us.”

Running back Andre Ellington echoed such a notion following the team’s lackluster offensive performance versus the defensively-stout Seahawks.

“We’re very hungry, man,” he told reporters in Tempe on Friday.

Ellington added that the extended practice team bodes well for the Cardinals’ fate Sunday.

“I felt like we had a great week of practice. You know, guys got better offensively and defensively.”