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It was not quite a new low, given that this team allowed a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in one game last month. But it was a rehashing of old misery for a group that has turned big early deficits into a weekly tradition.

This version came with Nico Collins getting open on a crossing route against Garrett Williams, then outrunning Budda Baker to the sideline and strolling into the end zone untouched for a 57-yard score. The Cardinals could not even point to their myriad injuries, given that the two closest players were two of their most important starters.

But the Houston Texans’ eventual 40-20 blowout win was just getting started. On the next play, Arizona fumbled a kickoff return, leading to an easy field goal. A drive later, Houston went up 17-0 before the Cardinals could even manage a first down.

At that point in the game, they were averaging negative-2.3 yards per play. The Texans were averaging 7.9 yards.

The game was largely over from there. Here are five key takeaways as the Cardinals fell to 3-11:

Uncompetitive starts

The Cardinals’ latest miserable start was the continuation of a trend. For the fourth time in the past six weeks, they were playing a desperate game of catch-up before halftime.

It started last month in Seattle, when they were down 14-0 by the end of their first offensive drive and 28-0 early in the second quarter. The next week against San Francisco, it was 13-0 after 11 plays from scrimmage. Last week, against the Rams, the Cardinals forced just one third down before halftime, by which point they trailed by 14.

All told, the Cardinals have now been outscored, 68-21, in the first quarter since their last win, which came in Week 9.

When asked whether the Cardinals have been ready to start these games, Gannon said only, “I think so.�

“We gotta look at it,� Gannon said. “… We gotta do a better job there starting games.�

Two weeks ago, Calais Campbell pointed to the Cardinals’ spate of one-possession losses to argue that they were not a bad team. Even in the wake of their playoff elimination, he said it was important to finish well. With a series of late-season wins, the Cardinals could build momentum.

They could convince owner Michael Bidwill to keep this group together.

“If we finish strong, I think that says a lot," Campbell said.

Instead, the Cardinals have done anything but. And the concern level — for head coach Jonathan Gannon and everyone else in the building — will grow even louder.

Defense shredded again

At this point in the season, analyzing the Cardinals’ offense comes with heavy caveats.

Against the Texans, they started just three players who have been season-long starters: tight end Trey McBride, wide receiver Michael Wilson and center Hjalte Froholdt.

Along the offensive line, they relied on four backups. Behind Wilson, their entire receiving corps consisted of practice-squad call-ups. When Bam Knight went down, they turned to Michael Carter, a fifth-stringer early this season.

All of that, against a Texans defense that began the day as the league’s best. In that context, the Cardinals' 20-point, 307-yard performance was somewhat encouraging, even if much of the production came in garbage time.

That was especially true for the makeshift offensive line, which allowed just five pressures, per Pro Football Focus (albeit with the Texans blitzing just once).

“To that No. 1 defense in the NFL, driven by that front, I thought they battled hard and did a really good job,� Gannon said.

But on the other side, the Cardinals faced a Texans offense that ranked 20th in points and 26th in yards per play. And unlike the offense, that unit is mostly healthy — save for linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. and Jalen Thompson.

Yet, they were shredded. C.J Stroud completed 22 of 29 passes for 260 yards. Tight end Dalton Schultz caught eight balls for 76 yards. A collection of backup running backs ran for nearly 5 yards per carry, including Jawhar Jordan, who accounted for 118 scrimmage yards in his first career action.

“We didn't contest some routes well enough, some zone distribution was off, we let the quarterback get out of the pocket,� Gannon said. “Run game, I thought it was boom or bust. It was either going for 1 or 2 or 10 yards. And then we gave up some explosives.�

That’s a concern for both the Cardinals’ front office, which invested heavily in its defense, and for Gannon, who comes from a defensive background. They are the first team to allow 40-plus points four times in six weeks since the 1981 Baltimore Colts.

McBride, Nolen among rare bright spots

Trey McBride continues to produce one of the most remarkable tight end seasons in NFL history.

With 105 catches, he needs just 12 more to set an NFL record at the position. The single-season yardage record is further off, but McBride is still within range. He has 1,071 receiving yards, meaning he needs to average 115 yards over his final three games to match Travis Kelce’s 1,416-yard mark from 2020.

That’s a tall order but McBride caught 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the Texans. He now has nine touchdowns in nine games with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.

McBride also set a tight end record against the Texans, marking his 16th consecutive game with at least five catches.

In the locker room afterward, though, he did not exactly cut a celebratory figure.

“Honestly, it's whatever,� McBride said. “It's cool, yeah, it's great. But it doesn't really matter. Sixteen games and for what? We gotta win more games.�

McBride wasn’t the only player to put up a big individual performance. In his fifth NFL game, first-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen racked up five pressures on 24 pass rush snaps, based on PFF’s initial data. If those numbers hold up after revision, Nolen’s pressure rate on the season would jump to 12.5%, an excellent number for a defensive tackle.

Despite dealing with multiple injuries this year, Nolen has been a bright spot.

Cardinals get moderate help on draft order

With the Cardinals’ loss, they moved up from eighth to sixth in the current NFL draft order.

The big piece came in the afternoon slate, with the New Orleans Saints upsetting the Carolina Panthers to move to 4-10. The Washington Commanders were the other team the Cardinals leaped.

The Commanders’ win, though, came against the New York Giants, who are also ahead of the Cardinals at 2-12.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns all lost by multiple scores.

Those three teams are especially crucial as all three could be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Remaining behind them makes it more difficult for the Cardinals to both draft a quarterback and to find a trading partner for Kyler Murray.

It will now be exceedingly difficult for the Cardinals to pass the Raiders, who are 2-12 and hold the tiebreaker for draft order, which is strength of schedule. The Jets and Browns remain more realistic targets, tied with Arizona at 3-11, albeit with the tiebreaker.

Andre Baccellia stable after scary injury

A scary scene unfolded on the opening kickoff, as Cardinals reserve wide receiver Andre Baccellia was stretchered off the field.

Baccellia had his facemask removed and was loaded onto a manual stretcher, rather than the typical injury cart, with a device seemingly supporting his neck. Baccellia did offer a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was taken into the tunnel, but he was still taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. He was later revealed to have full movement in all extremities, per an in-stadium announcement.

And, after the game, Gannon offered more positive news on Baccellia’s status.

“I think he'll fly home with us,� Gannon said. “So that's good to see.�

Baccellia is the third Cardinals player to be carted off with a neck injury suffered on special teams this year. Joey Blount and Travis Vokolek were ruled out for the season with their injuries.