North Dakota Fighting Hawks - NCAA Men's Hockey - Opinion

In the season's opening showdown, the Arizona Cardinals were narrowly defeated by the Buffalo Bills , with a scoreline of 28-34. This gripping encounter took place at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, marking a tough start for the Cardinals as they slipped to a 0-1 record, while the Bills kicked off their campaign on a positive note, moving to 1-0.

<img src="/imgproxy/D5sq4yd2c2s1H2E7lVXmEOTPkzm3ZSuChH0HgBoy_AQ/rs:fit:800:800:false:false/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmdvb2dsZWFwaXMuY29tL3dtdC1nYW1lcy1zZXJ2aWNlL2U2YThiNjY5YmMxNDgwOTg0OTlhNDdmOWM2ZjhiN2E4LmpwZw==?image_id=abca284f-ec3f-42a9-bb94-0544675eb45f" alt="Buffalo Bills place kicker Tyler Bass (2) kicks a field goal against the Arizona Cardinals with the help of Bills holder Sam Martin, left, during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)" title="Buffalo Bills place kicker Tyler Bass (2) kicks a field goal against the Arizona Cardinals with the help of Bills holder Sam Martin, left, during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)" /> The Cardinals displayed an effective offensive game plan, amassing a total of 270 yards and averaging four yards per play. Quarterback Kyler Murray put forth a commendable performance by completing 21 out of his 31 pass attempts for 162 yards and one touchdown. Murray's efforts translated into an impressive completion rate of 68 percent and an overall quarterback rating of 91.1. Despite being sacked four times resulting in a loss of sixteen yards, Murray's resilience kept the Cardinals in contention throughout the match.

James Conner spearheaded Arizona's rushing efforts with fifty yards on sixteen carries and contributed one touchdown to his team's cause. The ground game was robust for Arizona as it chalked up one hundred twenty-four rushing yards from twenty-five attempts. This tally included three key scrambles by Murray that significantly bolstered their yardage.

<img src="/imgproxy/6chcT9cdLg0EFEsEbE3q7Z-ixOhyHokSEO7_grGKWsU/rs:fit:800:800:false:false/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmdvb2dsZWFwaXMuY29tL3dtdC1nYW1lcy1zZXJ2aWNlL2U5ZGIyOGRhNzQ4YzYwNTJjMTk2YjVjY2VjNjBmMDEwLmpwZw==?image_id=a07f7b7a-5274-43a4-9fd1-8cda347a3b45" alt="Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir, top, dives for the endzone for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Justin Jones is unable to make the tackle during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)" title="Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir, top, dives for the endzone for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Justin Jones is unable to make the tackle during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)" /> The special teams unit also made its mark; Matt Prater was flawless in field goal attempts adding six points from kicks not exceeding thirty-one yards. DeeJay Dallas electrified with his kick return skills amassing one hundred twenty-three total return yards across three returns which included an outstanding ninety-six-yard touchdown return.

On defense, Arizona managed two sacks and forced one fumble which they successfully recovered but faced challenges in holding back Buffalo’s offense that managed to score thirty-four points against them. Roy Lopez was notable on defense forcing a fumble and securing one sack alongside Kei'Trel Clark who also recorded a sack.

<img src="/imgproxy/mdT0dRCkducmLIjCWfDY-vLTBKTSby4MP60OjFmODPw/rs:fit:800:800:false:false/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yYWdlLmdvb2dsZWFwaXMuY29tL3dtdC1nYW1lcy1zZXJ2aWNlLzBlOTUwYWY3MTJiY2Q5MTFhZTk3ZWMxNDU4MzVkNzkzLmpwZw==?image_id=e124de64-d563-40db-9300-83eb7e88417e" alt="Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)" title="Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)" /> Despite showing promise on both offense and defense and leading in possession time with twenty-nine minutes and thirty seconds against Buffalo’s time with the ball; penalties were detrimental for Arizona as they accumulated five penalties amounting to thirty-one penalty yards which hindered their progress at critical moments during the game.

Looking forward, fans are eagerly anticipating Arizona’s next outing against Los Angeles Rams set for September fifteen at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The match is scheduled to start at four o'five PM EDT and will be broadcast live on FOX where Arizona aims to secure their first victory of the season.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks - NCAA Men's Hockey - Opinion

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