The Arizona Cardinals did WHAT?
The Cardinals got here into the week as one of many worst run defenses within the league, by any metric. Close to the underside in each EPA and Success Charge, they confronted a Chargers’ offense that was some of the bodily in your entire league.
They usually shut them down.
Arizona held the Chargers to 59 yards speeding, -0.14 EPA per carry and a 35% Success Charge on the bottom of their 17-15 victory. One of the crucial spectacular workforce performances of the yr, and one which noticed them go away from their schematic tendencies. They’ve performed the third-most snaps in opposition to the run with six or fewer gamers within the field (largely due to the shortage of girth up entrance). Nevertheless, in opposition to the Chargers, they beefed up considerably, enjoying a big majority of their snaps in base personnel with LBs Kyzir White and Mack Wilson on the sector collectively. Being of their larger personnel not solely added extra our bodies onto the sector, but it surely allowed White and Wilson to circulate quick to the ball if the defensive position performed it appropriately.
On this run that ended up going for a loss, EDGE Zaven Collins finally ends up beating his tight finish throughout his face and colliding with the pulling guard, taking out two blockers by himself. This allowed Mack Wilson to set off extraordinarily exhausting and are available downhill to make this deal with, one thing we haven’t actually seen from the Cardinals this season.
We’ve talked rather a lot about losing gaps and blockers on the subject of cross rush, however on Monday the Cardinals have been capable of waste blockers within the run sport as nicely. Once more, Arizona is of their base personnel, however as a result of they’re in a six-man entrance, somebody from the defensive position has to drop in protection in the event that they wish to keep construction. Arizona drops their weakside EDGE, successfully which means RT Joe Alt has no person to dam. This creates one-on-ones for the proper guard and heart, and with nostril deal with Roy Lopez crossing the face of the middle, he can’t see White set off down exhausting on this cut up zone run and make the cease. Simply unimaginable run protection throughout by the Cardinals.
When the Chargers would go lighter, the Cardinals would match it, however nonetheless had the flexibility to cease the run from depth. Arizona has a trio of nice safeties that may come down from depth to play the run, which allowed them to get enjoyable with their personnel groupings. When Arizona would go to their “Penny” bundle, with 5 folks on the road of scrimmage and one linebacker off the ball, a type of edge gamers was truly LB Mack Wilson. Somebody with a greater really feel for protection and dropping from the road who can function that edge participant to nonetheless create one on ones for Arizona up entrance. Then, both Jalen Thompson or Budda Baker would come from depth to basically be the weakside linebacker, chopping off any cutbacks that the Chargers would have accessible.
That is how the Cardinals wish to play protection attributable to their lighter personnel, and when LA bought lighter, Arizona would win within the run sport.
The Cardinals are a bizarre workforce. Regardless of nonetheless having many questions on either side of the ball, they sit at 3-4 and boast a win over the San Francisco 49ers, which retains Arizona in second place within the NFC West. The street will get harder from right here with two extra video games in opposition to Seattle mixed with matchups in opposition to Chicago, Minnesota and Miami on Sunday, but when they will gameplan like they did in opposition to the Chargers then they need to keep proper within the hunt for the playoffs.
