The Arizona Cardinals are heading into the regular season ready to deliver, but their expectations are unrealistic considering a glaring weakness on their defense.
Last season, the Arizona Cardinals put up a memorable year that saw them go 13-3 while claiming the NFC West division title. There is no doubt they will continue being a contender in the NFL but there is one major weakness that could derail their plans of replicating last year’s results in 2016.
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The defensive secondary of the Cardinals has a huge question mark as it relates to the overall health and execution of their cornerback corps. Patrick Peterson had ankle surgery this offseason as well as Justin Bethel who had surgery on his foot. Everyone else after them just doesn’t have the defensive skill-set to thrive in the NFL at the positional group.
Even last season, safety Tyrann Mathieu was being utilized in a situational role with the Cardinals’ defense going from safety to cornerback just to pick up the slack. Injuries have unfortunately become a common theme with the Cardinals as should anything happen to Peterson, Bethel or even Mathieu who is coming off a torn ACL injury last season, could prove to be disastrous.
In the grand scheme of things, defense wins championships. It’s evident as recent as Super Bowl 50 in which the incredible defense of the Denver Broncos stopped the potent offense of the Carolina Panthers straight to winning a championship.
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At the end of the day, it’s all about being able to have a consistent and aggressive pass rush.
Last season, the defense of the Cardinals totaled 36 sacks but keep in mind, nine of those sacks came from their Week 16 match-up against the Green Bay Packers.
While their defense performed well last season, it might have different results this time around, especially up front on their defensive line.
As the Cardinals decided not to bring back defensive end Dwight Freeney, they are hoping their biggest acquisition this offseason in Chandler Jones can be an even bigger contributor on defense.
The Cardinals’ defensive line will bring the pressure but if their pass rush misses a beat, even more emphasis will be placed on their defensive secondary to hold the fort. Since the NFL is a passing league, it will be incredibly important for their defensive secondary to remain healthy all season long.
Experience is big when it comes to the NFL as the Cardinals unfortunately lost two of their key starters this offseason. Safety Rashad Johnson was acquired by the Tennessee Titans and cornerback Jerraud Powers was recently picked up by the Baltimore Ravens. Both athletes came up big last season for the Cardinals as their presence will be missed.
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Overall, as the Cardinals prepare for the regular season, they will continue playing in one of the most competitive divisions in the entire NFL. Expectations are they will repeat as division champions but these are unrealistic expectations that are too high considering just how banged up their defense secondary is heading into the regular season.