This time last week, fans were holding their heads in disbelief after the loss to the Dallas Cowboys (6-3). A close-knit, back-and-forth game came down to a few key plays that ultimately decided the outcome. The Cardinals wished they could have those moments back to change the trajectory of the game, but that wasn’t possible—they had to take the loss on the chin and move forward.
What were those plays, you may be wondering? Multiple miscues, including a fumble on his first career catch, a dropped pass on a wide-open touchdown, and several other drops on second- and third-down situations left the Cardinals constantly fighting an uphill battle. While rookie wideout Kaden Prather did finish with a touchdown, there was more bad than good in his performance. Fans were left disappointed after the game, but more importantly, the rookie himself felt like he had let the team and fanbase down after receiving so much praise leading up to his debut.
So, what better way to earn back the trust of teammates, fans, and coaches? Redemption—and that’s exactly what the rookie wideout delivered in arguably the biggest game of the season for the Arizona Cardinals so far. While this game didn’t feature any touchdowns for Prather, it also didn’t feature any drops or costly mistakes. Instead, he hauled in 5 catches for 55 yards, with all 5 receptions coming on third-down conversions—proving he can be pivotal and dependable when it matters most.
Another sign of trust from Coach Jonathan Gannon was Prather being named the team’s starting kick and punt returner. That decision paid off in a big way, as he ripped off an 80-yard kick return that set the Cardinals up with great field position, ultimately resulting in a touchdown. He added multiple other solid kick and punt returns that consistently gave the Cardinals favorable field position. After a disastrous debut, it’s safe to say the rookie may have just earned back the trust of the fanbase.
“I’ll tell you guys right now, he got a game ball after the game. To be a rookie, not have the best debut, but then show the mental strength to bounce back the way Kaden did—that’s admirable. It’s a reason we brought him here, and you’ll see week in and week out why that was,” Coach Gannon said when asked about Prather’s bounce-back performance.
We look forward to keeping an eye on the rookie and watching him grow in an offense that is so spread out and multi-dimensional.
(AI was only used for grammatical correction as English isn’t my first language, thanks)
