Arizona Cardinals Keys: Containing Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate
The Arizona Cardinals offense is built on the quarterback getting the ball to several talented skill position players, and it’s been the chain-moving Larry Fitzgerald who has played the biggest role in the passing game over the past few weeks. Without Carson Palmer supplying the distribution power in the Cardinals offense, plenty of efficiency will be lost, as Drew Stanton is inaccurate but does add even more to the vertical game with his impressive arm strength. Palmer’s loss puts more stress on the defense to stop opponents, since Stanton’s decision-making isn’t good enough to trust him in a shootout.
By my estimation, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate comprise the NFL’s best wide receiver duo, so there’s no doubt that the Cardinals will have their hands full on Sunday trying to stop both players. Thankfully, the strength of their defense lies in the cornerback duo of Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie, and it’s the most athletic CB duo that I can name off the top of my head. Coming into the season, we knew that the Cardinals could have an elite secondary if they played up to their potential, and it looks like they’re starting to do just that.
After a slow start to the season, Peterson was dominant last week against the rival St. Louis Rams, recording two picks, including an acrobatic pick-six. Per the Pro Football Focus, he allowed a “perfect” (for a cornerback, that is) 0.0 QB Rating into his coverage, as the Rams completed just one pass for five yards on five targets in Peterson’s coverage.
There’s no doubt that Peterson is a top cornerback when he’s at his best, and he seems to be hitting his stride. That said, Austin Davis and the Rams are a much easier matchup than Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, and the Detroit Lions. Peterson, of course, isn’t doing it all alone anymore on the outside at corner, and Cromartie has actually been better than PP this year. Cro struggled in his final season with the New York Jets due to nagging injuries, but his terrific 2012 season is the one to keep in mind when evaluating Cromartie’s play this season. After Darrelle Revis tore his ACL in 2012, Cro became the Jets No. 1 corner and immediately played up to his potential, re-establishing himself as an elite shutdown corner.
I’d argue that he’s back at that level this season, so we’re basically watching two No. 1 cornerbacks battle two No. 1 wide receiver (I view Tate as that caliber of a player now). It’s usually a treat just to see one No. 1 wideout battle a No. 1 corner in a marquee matchup, such as when Joe Haden goes up against Antonio Brown or A.J. Green. But fans tuning into Sunday’s game between the Lions and Cardinals will be treated to a second-helping of the WR-CB battle.
So how do you stop the best wide receiver in the NFL and a wideout who has been one of the 5-10 best this season? The prevailing belief is that the Cardinals will put up a physical specimen on another physical specimen by shadowing Johnson with Peterson, and this makes plenty of sense. I mean, why wouldn’t you use your best CB against their best WR? No matter who Johnson faces, it comes down to one athletic corner against an elite wide receiver, and then it’s all about execution on the part of either player.
I think it’s more interesting to look at stopping Tate, because he’s the bigger schematic headache. Johnson is a matchup nightmare due to his size, but Tate is harder to gameplan against because of his versatility. Teams are coveting versatile wideouts more than ever, and it’s no coincidence that Tate, Sammy Watkins, Odell Beckham Jr., and Emmanuel Sanders are four of the most impressive receivers this season. Tate is the best of the bunch, as he has great hands, toughness at the catch point, and the ability to run essentially any route imaginable.
It’s hard for one receiver to lead a team to victory, so the Lions are a much more scary team now that Megatron has a sure-fire, top-15 wideout taking pressure off of him, and the Cardinals will have to account for his ability to line up in the slot or make plays over the top of the defense. Stopping Tate comes down to a team effort, while stopping Megatron comes to a cornerback-safety effort. For as good as Peterson is, I don’t think he can even successfully beat Johnson one-on-one. What can help him, though, is the pass rush provided by Calais Campbell and others, because frustrating Matthew Stafford and disrupting his rhythm can cause him to over-target Johnson. As we saw last week, Peterson has the best ball skills in the game at corner, and he can turn off throws into big plays for the defense, so his ability to generate big plays can also help swing the game in favor of the Cardinals and help counter the plays that the Lions WRs will almost certainly make.