Arizona Cardinals: Sam Bradford faces relentless pass rush in Week 3
By Larry Brake
The Arizona Cardinals will have to contain the Chicago Bears pass rush on Sunday in Week if they want to have any chance of winning.
On Sunday in a Week 3 showdown, the Arizona Cardinals face another good defense in the Chicago Bears. Sam Bradford will face another stiff pass rusher in Khalil Mack. Mike McCoy’s game plan must protect Bradford if the Cardinals have any chance at winning the game.
Head coach Steve Wilks reportedly told McCoy to be more creative on offense, largely in regards to getting star running back David Johnson the ball more often.
Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com reported the following:
"“We talked about that,” Wilks said about conversations he had with coordinator Mike McCoy and the offensive staff. “We’ve got to utilize David from the standpoint of getting him out of the backfield, putting him in the slot, putting him out there to try and create that matchup that we need…"
Chicago is a top-10 defense. They are ranked eighth in total defense after two games. Most of all, they lead the NFL in sacks with 10. Mack has performed at a high level to help that cause. He has recorded two sacks and forced two fumbles. Mack returned an interception back for a touchdown in Week 1. Arizona can not afford to let Mack wreak havoc on Sunday.
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The worst offense in the NFL after two weeks belongs to Arizona. In two games, they have only scored six points. They were shutout last week in Los Angeles. The Cardinals are last in total offense and pass offense. They are only slightly better, 31st, in rush offense.
McCoy has to get the vertical passing game going. Last week, Bradford threw only two passes over 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. According to NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats, one pass was intercepted and the other fell incomplete.
Johnson has been a bright spot in the Cardinals offense. He has accounted for a total of 118 rushing and receiving yards. McCoy might have to use him as a decoy to open other targets for Bradford.
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Expect another tough and bruising game. Chicago has the momentum and Arizona is trying to find a rhythm as a team. Perhaps, the Cardinals defense might force a turnover to ignite the offense. The season is still young but Arizona needs a better performance than last week. Is the season in the balance? Not yet, however, changes are coming.