On offense, the Arizona Cardinals are an average group that has lacked an explosive element.
Finding those chunk plays is the next step as first-year head coach Mike LaFleur aims to establish himself as the type of playcaller who can elevate an entire organization.
On defense, the calculus is different. They’ve been abysmal, for the most part. Against a struggling Giants offense, the Cardinals need a competent defensive performance to quiet at least some of those concerns. The Cardinals have not only lacked an effective pass rush, but have surrendered multiple explosive plays already this season.
Let's look at how the two teams match up.
Arizona Cardinals (1-2) at New York Giants (2-1)
Time/site: 10:00 a.m. MST, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: CBS. Radio: 98.7.
Last time they played:
These teams haven’t played since September 2023, in the second game of the Jonathan Gannon era. Arizona lost that day, blowing a 21-point third-quarter lead.
Series history: The Giants lead the all-time series, 81-46-2, in a matchup that dates back exactly 100 years. The Cardinals struggled massively against New York when both teams were in the NFC East in the 1980s and 1990s, but they’re 7-4 in this series since realignment in 2002.
Coaching matchup
The Giants and Cardinals went in opposite directions with their offseason coaching searches. New York, with its big-market cache, landed the hottest name available, John Harbaugh. The Cardinals operate from a different standing and opted to mine the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay tree, landing on Mike LaFleur. It’s young vs. old, playcaller vs. CEO. It’s also the first time the Cardinals have gone up against an offensive playcaller — Matt Nagy — from outside the Shanahan/McVay tree, which raises a new series of questions for their defense.
Arizona will win if…
- Jacoby Brissett pushes the ball downfield: The Cardinals have been above average at avoiding pressure this year, while the Giants have generated pressure at the league’s second-lowest rate. In theory, that should give Brissett plenty of time in the pocket. The question is whether he’ll use that time to take chances downfield, shedding the risk-averse tendencies with which the Cardinals have played through three weeks.
- It limits self-inflicted mistakes: The Cardinals have beaten themselves too often this year, whether with pre-snap penalties, missed blocking assignments or busted coverages on defense. They’re favored this week, but self-inflicted mistakes would help open the door for a Giants upset.
- Its pass rush steps up: When pressured this season, Winston has completed just 4 of 15 passes, with five sacks on 21 dropbacks. Mentally, he looks overwhelmed on those plays. To get to that point, the Cardinals need more from their pass rush, specifically Josh Sweat and Walter Nolen.
New York will win if…
- The Cardinals continue to sell out to stop the run: The Cardinals have sold out to stop the run this season, playing with just four defensive backs at the second-highest rate in the league. They’ve achieved a top-10 rush defense, but at the cost of a bottom-three pass defense. That could be just what Winston needs to find some success through the air.
- Malik Nabers gets untracked: So far this year, the Cardinals have struggled to negate the opponent’s best pass-catcher. Those players — Ladd McConkey, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and George Kittle — have averaged seven catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona. They need a better plan for Nabers, who stands out as the most dangerous weapon on a depleted Giants offense, even amid a quiet start to the season.
- It leans into multiple tight end sets: The Cardinals have been the worst team in the league this year when offenses use multiple tight ends, allowing 7.4 yards per play. Why? There’s no one answer, but those plays require more of opposing linebackers, and the Cardinals' linebackers struggle in pass coverage. The Giants don’t use multiple tight ends often, but when they do, they’ve been effective. With an injury-riddled offense, those are the types of advantages the Giants might need to create for themselves.
They said it
Mike LaFleur on the Cardinals' pre-snap penalties: “We have to mix up our cadence. We have to. It’s a huge advantage to what you do offensively because it’s the only real advantage you have. You know when you’re snapping it, they don’t. The easy answer is, just go on the same cadence every time. Well, we’re not trying to be middle of the pack. Middle of the pack, you’re gonna have someone new sitting up here.”
Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis on Giants running back Cam Skattebo: “Physical, downhill, hard-playing. It’s what you think. He just doesn’t go down easy. He runs every play like his last play. I’ve got a lot of respect for a ball-carrier like that.”
By the numbers
2.5 — The Vegas line, in favor of the Cardinals. It’s the first time Arizona has been favored in a game since their loss to the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 5, 2025, nearly a year ago to the day.
4.7% — Combined pressure rate, per Pro Football Focus, from Walter Nolen and Josh Sweat, neither of whom has a sack yet this season. Last year, their combined pressure rate was 13.7%.
6.5 — Brissett’s average depth of target, down from 7.8 last season. He’s often appeared hesitant to push the ball deep into tight windows, though he’s been effective when working in short and intermediate areas.
22.7 — Yards per target allowed from Budda Baker this season, per Fantasy Points Data. He’s been culpable for multiple coverage busts early in the year, though he remains excellent when attacking downhill, toward the line of scrimmage.
32 — The Cardinals’ rank in passing explosive play rate, rushing explosive play rate and overall explosive play rate. They’ve been the 18th-best scoring offense despite a complete inability to move the ball downfield.
Who will win and why
Cardinals 24, Giants 21: The Cardinals should be able to push the ball downfield more often, with their advantage over the Giants in the trenches. And unlike Arizona’s past two opponents, New York doesn’t have the offensive weapons to fully exploit a beatable Cardinals defense.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's what the Cardinals need to do to beat the Giants in Week 3
