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Placing the blame. Ranking the Arizona Cardinals' 5 biggest problems
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- Placing the blame. Ranking the Arizona Cardinals' 5 biggest problems
The Arizona Cardinals ' latest loss — this version against the Denver Broncos — did not occur because of a specific play call or self-inflicted miscue. It was, instead, a case of one team being significantly outmatched, from a talent perspective, at nearly every position.
This is not new for the Cardinals. Battered by injuries and draft miscues, their roster is among the NFL's worst. Against the Broncos' elite defense, they had Jayden Williams protecting Jacoby Brissett so he could pass to Jalen Brooks downfield. That's not a recipe for success.
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The Cardinals will still win some games, as they did two weeks ago. They have a handful of high-level playmakers and a coaching staff that has delivered a few impressive game plans already.
But their ceiling has always been limited by a lack of talent throughout the roster. Here is a look at the five biggest problem spots, and whether they can be fixed this season.
1. Cardinals offensive line
The Cardinals' offensive line was a potential weakness entering the season — before injuries started ravaging the group. Now, they're without left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. for the season and without right guard Isaiah Adams for at least one more week.
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That group stood at the center of Arizona's struggles against the Broncos.
Williams — their seventh-round rookie replacement for Johnson — was solid in his first two games but struggled mightily against the Broncos. He now ranks among the bottom 10 qualified tackles in pressure rate (8%), quick pressure rate (6%) and pass-block win rate (86.7%), per SumerSports.
Hayden Conner — their fourth-string right guard who was called into action after injuries to Adams and Jon Gaines — was nearly as culpable. Right tackle Elijah Wilkinson also had a difficult day, repeatedly allowing quick pressure to get to Brissett.
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The result was that even when the Cardinals had potential opportunities downfield, Brissett didn't have the time to try them. The run game was similarly inept, as has been the case for much of the season. The Cardinals rank 29th in yards before contact per carry, at 0.75.
Can it change?Partially. The Cardinals will be better when either Adams or Gaines returns. And Williams should be able to use this game as a learning experience. But they're still relying on two unproven tackles after mostly neglecting that position this offseason. Plus, the run blocking has been bad all year. So even if Week 7 was an outlier, the offensive line will likely remain a bottom-10 unit.
2. Cardinals quarterback
For much of the season, Brissett has operated as a solid bridge quarterback, keeping the Cardinals' offense on track despite his limitations and the limitations of those around him.
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But over the past three weeks, his weaknesses have grown more evident. In that span, he ranks sixth-worst among starting quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, when excluding garbage time. The only players worse: Jalon Daniels, Deshaun Watson, Tanner McKee, Cam Ward and Justin Herbert. That's not a friendly list.
The Broncos game may have been Brissett's worst yet. Yes, the pass protection was bad. But he also missed multiple chances for big plays.
On one, the Broncos jumped offside, giving Brissett a free play. And with a three-man rush, he was afforded a clean pocket to let the play develop downfield. If he had done so, he would have seen Trey McBride working vertical against a linebacker — likely a massive gain. Instead, he scrambled for 5 yards, squandering the free play.
On another, Brissett simply missed Brooks with two steps of separation on a downfield shot, underthrowing him by at least 5 yards.
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That miss highlighted a recurring issue: On passes that travel at least 20 yards in the air, Brissett is now 5 of 26 for 5.6 yards per attempt, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Each of those stats ranks in the bottom five among starting quarterbacks.
Can it change?Unlikely. Eventually, the Cardinals will likely turn to rookie Carson Beck, but he has similar athletic limitations to Brissett. Backup Gardner Minshew has also struggled in recent years. There's a reason the Cardinals are sticking with Brissett, at least for now.
3. Cardinals secondary
When the Cardinals generate pressure, their pass defense has held its own. The issue is when they don't manage to impact the quarterback up front.
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On those plays, opposing quarterbacks have thrown 15 touchdowns to just one interception, while averaging 9.0 yards per attempt. That's the worst mark in the NFL.
The strange thing here is that the Cardinals' top outside cornerbacks — Max Melton and Denzel Burke — have been solid for much of the season, especially Melton. But the Cardinals' safeties have struggled, and they've had multiple backups exploited in recent weeks, all across the secondary. That's why this position group is lumped together.
One 47-yard completion against the Broncos was representative. Burke bit too quickly on an underneath route, Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said, which left Garrett Williams — a slot corner forced to play safety due to injuries — in a precarious spot over the top. He was slow to attack the ball, then whiffed on a tackle. A cornucopia of miscues.
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Can it change?Yes. Max Melton and Andrew Wingard are set to return from injury this week, providing the Cardinals with much-needed stability on the back end. It won't be a great unit, but it should be better than it's been over the past month.
4. Cardinals wide receivers
Outside of Michael Wilson, the Cardinals' wide receiver play this season has been poor. That was true with Marvin Harrison Jr. as their "X" receiver, and it remains true with him gone.
Since the Harrison trade, Brissett has thrown 61 passes to his wide receivers. The results: 32 completions for 359 yards and zero touchdowns. That's a putrid 5.9 yards per attempt, ranking dead last in the NFL.
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It's no surprise that the Cardinals have seen the second-highest rate of man coverage in the league over the past month. Defenses are daring pass-catchers other than Wilson or McBride to beat them, and that group has largely failed.
Two chances to Brooks in one-on-one coverage stood out against the Broncos. On one, Brissett tried a go ball, with Brooks completely swarmed by the coverage. On the other, Brooks was running a slant-and-go in the red zone. That should be a good man-coverage beater but he stumbled on his break and never had a chance.
Can it change?Unlikely. Brooks is now out for the season, forcing the Cardinals to work even further down their wide receiver depth chart. They need fifth-round rookie Reggie Virgil to emerge, but he hasn't shown much in his limited opportunities so far this year.
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5. Cardinals linebackers
The Cardinals' linebacker play is, once again, a problem.
Over his three years in Arizona, Mack Wilson Sr. has provided the Cardinals with solid linebacker performance, especially when used in a do-everything role across the defense.
The problem has been the spot next to him. For four straight seasons, general manager Monti Ossenfort has tried to fill that role with low-cost free agent additions. And for four straight seasons, the Cardinals have been punished with below-average linebacker play.
The Broncos game was merely the latest example.
On Denver's first play, Bo Nix had an easy 20-yard completion to Courtland Sutton, partially because linebacker Jack Gibbens didn't play his zone with enough depth — or awareness of Sutton's route. On Nix's 62-yard touchdown scramble, Gibbens (as well as Burke) didn't turn his eyes to the quarterback until Nix was nearly 20 yards downfield. And on Denver's 52-yard screen pass touchdown, Gibbens was late to react, though he may not have been able to do much on what was a well-designed play.
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Can it change?Maybe. Second-year linebacker Cody Simon played a season-high 23% of snaps against the Broncos, cutting into Gibbens' workload. He's been better in his limited opportunities this year after a difficult rookie season, and offers the Cardinals hope at the position. Otherwise, Arizona will enter yet another offseason in need of a linebacker.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Placing the blame. Ranking the Arizona Cardinals' 5 biggest problems
