The Detroit Lions (2-2) and Arizona Cardinals (1-3) will square off in a Week 5 battle in the desert. The Cardinals are in the early stages of a coaching change, now led by Mount Pleasant, Michigan-native Mike LaFleur—the brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur—and are still searching for their identity.
Let’s take a closer look at the Cardinals’ coaching staff, the scheme they run, and scouting notes from their most recently viewed games.
Cardinals head coach: Mike LaFleur
NFL coaching seasons: 13th season (Browns, Falcons, 49ers, Jets,
Rams, Cardinals) Head coaching seasons: First (Cardinals) Offensive coordinator: Rams (2023-25), Jets (2021-22) Passing game coordinator: 49ers (2017-20) Influences: Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur (Brother) Coached under: Shanahan, McVay, Mike Pettine, Dan Quinn, Robert Saleh Play caller: Yes
Dan Campbell on LaFleur:
“These guys are playing hard. Coach LaFleur’s doing a really good job with them. They’ve been in all these games. I know the Seattle game got a little bit out of whack there, but these guys play hard. And they’re in all these games, man. They can score points on offense. They have got weapons.”
Offensive coordinator: Nathaniel Hackett
NFL coaching seasons: 18th season (Bucs, Bills, Jaguars, Packers, Broncos, Jets, Cardinals)
Offensive coordinator seasons: 11th season (Bills, Jaguars, Packers, Jets, Cardinals)
Head coaching seasons: Broncos (2022)
Previous coaching positions: QB coach, TE coach, offensive quality control, defensive analyst
Influences: Matt LaFleur, Doug Marone, Jon Gruden
Coached under: LaFleur, Marone, Gruden, Dick Jauron, Gus Bradley, Greg Olsen, Robert Saleh
Offensive scheme
Passing game: West Coast Shanahan offense
Running scheme: Outside-zone/GAP orientated
Scouting notes:
- There are clear signs of Shanahan and McVay’s system in play in Arizona, like leaning on an outside-zone rushing attack and leaning into 13 personnel, but…
- There are also some stark variances, such as Shanahan/McVay schemes leaning heavily on play-action, but the Cardinals have used it sparingly: 17.8% (27th in the NFL)
- 11 personnel is the most prevalent at 61.7% usage
- 12 personnel is moderate at 14.8%
- 13 personnel heavy usage has carried over from the Rams: 20%
- Run/pass split is roughly 38/62%
- Jacoby Brissett has struggled and ranks in the lower third, or at the bottom, of most QB categories.
- Passing yards per play: 5.4 (32nd), Explosive pass plays (32nd)
- Brissett EPA: drop back (36th), vs. man coverage (36th), vs. zone (23rd), on play-action (32nd), in red zone (28th), vs. pressure (29th), per SumerSports
- Offensive line isn’t helping much, allowing pressure in 2.51 seconds (28th)
- OL struggling to pick up blitz, very late to adjust; Brissett EPA vs. Blitz (40th), per SumerSports
- Making matters worse, starting LT Paris Johnson just landed on season-ending injured reserve
- Brissett’s mobility has kept him upright, and he has only been sacked seven times (10th fewest)
- The rushing attack deploys an outside-zone blocking scheme and gap-blocking scheme, each about a third of the time, splitting the final third between inside zone, pullers, and draws.
- They don’t use many, if any, counters or traps
- Run game is solid (EPA per rush -0.05, 14th); they lack explosives (32nd) and don’t get much initial push from their offensive line (0.73 yards before contact, 29th), forcing the RBs to do most of the work
- RB Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier could be a problem for the Lions, but…
- If the Lions can take away the run, the Cardinals will abandon it
Dan Campbell on Cardinals tight end Trey McBride:
“When you’re a big physical guy that can run and separate and make tough catches and have some run after catch. I mean that’s hard because you’re big and physical. And so, you can separate from a safety. And then linebackers, a lot of times they can run away from them or their catch radius, things of that nature. So, they’re going to give this guy (McBride) the ball because he can make plays with the ball in his hand and he’s tough. He’s going to get his targets and we’re going to have our hands full.”
Defensive coordinator: Nick Rallis
NFL coaching seasons: 9th season (Vikings, Eagles, Cardinals)
Defensive coordinator seasons: 4th (Cardinals, 2023-present, retained from previous regime)
Previous roles: LB coach, assistant LB coach, and defensive quality control
Influences: Jonathan Gannon, Mike Zimmer
Coached under: Gannon, Zimmer, Nick Sirianni
Staff ties to Detroit: Teryl Austin (Senior Defensive Assistant)
Defensive scheme
Base: 3-4 Base
Coverage: Fangio zone principles, two-high split-zone safeties
Scouting notes:
- Diverse scheme, but they lack a defining identity on defense
- Spent the majority of their time in their 3-4 Base defense: 52.4%
- Supplement that with a 2-4 nickel: 44.5%
- Heavy zone coverage: 81.3%
- In 2025, highest usage of Cover-4 (30%) in the NFL; in 2026, it’s been scaled back to 20%
- New favorite coverage scheme: Cover-6 at 27.6% (most in the NFL — up from just 5.5% in 2025)
- Note: The difference between Cover-4 and Cover-6 isn’t that big; in Cover-4, they drop four DBs deep with two (or three) underneath, while Cover-6 inverts that, dropping three DBs deep with three (or four) underneath.
- Other zone coverages used: Cover-2 (14%), Cover-3 (21%)
- Man coverages used: Cover-0 (2.4%), Cover-1 (5.8%), Cover-2 man (2.4%)
- 29th in defensive DVOA, 29th in points allowed (29.3)
- Strong numbers defend the run: DVOA (10th), EPA per rush (-0.24, 2nd), yards before contact allowed (0.77, 4th)
- Disastrous numbers defending the pass: DVOA (31st), 9.1 yards allowed per pass (32nd), 0.29 EPA per pass (30th), Explosive plays allowed (32nd), 37 pressures forced (32nd)
- Zone is very loose, especially between the LBs and safeties
- Willing to allow completions underneath because they’re solid tacklers
- Slot defenders are very instinctual: S/NB Budda Baker and NB Garrett Williams made impact plays in the game I watched
Dan Campbell on the Cardinals’ defense:
“In this defense, man, it gives you different looks. They have got length. (safety) Budda Baker is problematic. (LB Mack) Wilson, man, he kind of runs the show over there. And we know Roy Lopez, man. He’s a lunch pail guy, going to give it everything you got and make you earn it, among others over there.”
