Cardinals offense struggling to close games. Losing RB James Conner for the season won't help

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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona's offense has had three chances in three games to close out a win this season and failed in all three instances.

The first two times, the Cardinals' defense was there to save the day.

The third time, the team wasn't as fortunate.

Arizona (2-1) lost its first game of the season on Sunday, falling 16-15 to San Francisco after a 35-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro in the final seconds. Even worse for the long term, veteran running back James Conner is out for the season after suffering a foot injury in the loss.

“You hate that it happens, I feel terrible,” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It's tough to replace, but we have to. So that's what we'll do.”

The 30-year-old Conner has been the driving force behind the Cardinals running game over the past four-plus seasons, running for more than 3,700 yards and 38 touchdowns. He's also the emotional leader of the locker room and his toughness is widely respected.

Emotions were raw after Sunday's game.

“JC is everything, means everything," quarterback Kyler Murray said. "I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”

Conner's absence means more carries for the other backs, including Trey Benson and Emari Demercado. Benson — a second-year player — has a team-high 125 yards rushing this season and is averaging 6 yards per carry.

It's not just the running game that needs work. The Cardinals rank near the bottom of the NFL in passing yards and some costly drops by receivers hurt the offense on Sunday.

The good news is that with all the issues, Arizona is still 2-1.

Things could be much worse.

The Cardinals have a quick turnaround this week, hosting the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

“I told the coaches, the sky's not falling, there's no panic in my game,” Gannon said. "I told the team that and I haven't lost confidence. We lost a game. The things over the first three weeks that we haven't done a good enough job — we've got time to correct it.

“But we've got to correct it.”

The Cardinals look like a very good defensive team, giving up just 17 points per game, which ranks fifth in the league. Arizona would like to be putting a little more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but otherwise, there's not much to complain about. The 39-year-old Calais Campbell continues to produce in his 18th NFL season, forcing a holding penalty in the end zone that resulted in a safety and gave the Cardinals a late 15-13 lead before the 49ers rallied.

Gannon said he has no problems with the play-calling of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, but for whatever reason, the Cardinals haven't been able to close games. Petzing is also struggling to get the most out of second-year receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who hasn't been the elite option the Cardinals need.

Mack Wilson Sr. — The linebacker was everywhere on Sunday, finishing with a team-high 12 tackles and a huge hit on Christian McCaffrey that forced a turnover on downs. He's been one of the leaders on defense. Even so, the 27-year-old isn't satisfied: "We just need to find a way to close out games better, but on both sides of the ball, and kind of just get better, learn from it, and move forward.”

Harrison Jr. — It was the second straight quiet game for the frustrated receiver. He was targeted six times, but caught just three of them for 44 yards and also had a drop when he was wide open. It's only three games into the season, but last year's No. 4 overall pick hasn't made the jump that the Cardinals had hoped.

“To go out there and not play anywhere near the best of my abilities is frustrating,” the receiver said. "It hurts the team and I have to get better.”

The Cardinals hope OT Paris Johnson (knee) and CB Will Johnson (groin) can return for the Seahawks game after being inactive against the 49ers.

495 — The Cardinals have 495 yards passing so far this season, which ranks 27th.

The Cardinals host the Seahawks on Thursday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL