Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis will hang his hat after the dominating performance in the 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. Emphatically, a few statistics show that Rallis was well prepared to deal with the opponent, a hint at his defensive expertise and discipline.
The Cardinals only allowed the Chargers to convert just 17 total first downs this past weekend. Rallis' unit also held the Chargers on six of their eight third-down attempts. The Chargers finished with a conversion percentage of zero on fourth downs and were sacked three times at the hands of the Cardinals' pass rush.
Rallis believes with good faith that he can thrive and his immediate success gives hint towards external factors working as the inhibitor
of his inefficiency last season. The Cardinals were plagued with defensive injuries last season including the untimely injury to starting linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., who had six tackles this past Sunday.
Ultimately, Rallis has a defensive scheme built on explosiveness and speed. Great affordances will be awarded to Rallis if his unit can avoid fatigue and the Cardinals' offense can win the time of possession. Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur made sure the offense sustained each drive in Week 1 and Rallis was able to reciprocate the intensity on his end. The Cardinals have a complete reset and Rallis is ready to rally in a NFC West division that seems to be up for grabs in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals' Nick Rallis knows he can rally now with the roster reset
