The Arizona Cardinals are not dead after all. In fact, they are showing good signs of life. But now, they have an upcoming game against AFC power Denver Broncos. After that, the schedule is just as difficult with the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
With a one-game win streak, Arizona has the opportunity to salvage what looked like another dismal season.
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Next up, the Broncos in a home game. Last year, Denver was
the #1 seed in the AFC with a 14-3-0 record and at one time had an 11-game win streak. After missing the Wild Card round, in the divisional game they defeated the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime, and then lost a heartbreaker 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
So, they are a very good team. After six games this year, they sit at 4-2-0 and are in second place in the AFC West Division.
How can the Cardinals beat this exceptional AFC powerhouse?
Broncos are not a good road team
Oftentimes, the home crowd is the twelfth man. The Cardinals wish their home field were a safe haven, but unfortunately this year they are 0-2.
The Broncos are 3-0 at home but 1-2 while traveling to games. Denver has struggled mightily on the road. They were beaten badly by the undefeated Chiefs 31-10 in Kansas City, and 24-14 by another undefeated team, the San Francisco 49ers.
At one time against San Fran, they had built a 17-6 lead while Denver had punted five times. Their offense was stymied repeatedly without any run game. QB Bo Nix only had the short passing game to stand on, while the intermediate passing zones were minimal. In the end, the Broncos only had 82 rushing yards.
In Week 1 against the Chiefs, the first half was fairly close, but the game quickly got out of hand after halftime. Going into the final quarter, it was 24-10. Again, Denver could not run the ball whatsoever, and at the final gun, they had 61 rushing yards.
Use the offense’s playmakers early and often
The Broncos have a good defense. It was their catalyst from last season, and it has carried over into this year’s roster. Make no mistake, this is a very good team. They just defeated the Seattle Seahawks, who many believe is the best team in the NFC.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride leads the league in receptions with 49. He has a knack for getting open, and so far, no linebacker has been able to cover him. Not sure if switching to a safety would help matters, but in a six-game sample, opposing defenses haven’t had an answer for him.
The Broncos are ranked #5 in passing defense this year, so this is a tough situation for Arizona’s passing game.
WR Michael Wilson is ranked #11 in the league in receiving. That means that the Cardinals have two top talents that should be thrown to repeatedly. Use this talent as much as possible.
But the Cardinals have two aces in the hole: WRs Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Brooks. Bourne is the guy who can take the short-to-intermediate throws and advance a drive. Brooks can become a game-decider. In the Rams contest, he only had two catches, and the last one decided the outcome of the game.
Use your weapons.
Make QB Bo Nix very uncomfortable
The Broncos signalcaller, Bo Nix, does really well when he has time to survey the field. He is a gifted quarterback who has a great arm and is very accurate. However, that is within the confines of a clean pocket. When Nix is forced to scramble or run, his ability to hurt a defense is greatly diminished. When he is flushed and expected to look downfield, he has lost a lot of his ability to move the sticks.
But this article discusses how Nix has regressed this year.
The key to disrupting Denver’s offense is to collapse the pocket and be on Nix’s tail every time he drops back to pass.
Now, having said that, maybe Arizona’s defense can’t come through. Perhaps this shouldn’t even be listed as a method to defeat the Broncos. But it is a fact. But Denver’s passing attack is currently ranked #31 in the league. Their inability to pass the ball is their Achilles heel. The Cardinals’ pass defense is ranked #22, which is in the bottom third.
Nix is ranked #21 in total passing yards (1,049), but is #73 in average yards per completion (5.6). He has thrown only six touchdowns all year, with three interceptions. Their offensive line is very good at run blocking, but has allowed the fourth-most sacks. That is a huge stat to know going into this weekend. Last week, the Seahawks contained Nix, and he had only 107 passing yards.
Denver’s passing game is almost devoid of any explosiveness, as Nix relies on short completions as well as dink-and-dunk gains. Provide plenty of pressure on Nix.
Now, can DT Walter Nolen step up? What about DE Josh Sweat? Can DE Darius Robinson show up two games in a row?
