It was great to hear Dave Burns and John Gambadoro Friday afternoon on ArizonaSports 98.7 FM when they mentioned my story about the Arizona Cardinals potentially shocking the world this season.
Their discussion morphed into what they believed the Cardinals would have to do to “shock the world.” Different thoughts were expressed, including not being one of the five worst teams in the league. In another, it was said the offense would shock the world if they ranked in the top 10.
To that end, I’ve always taken exception to the rankings as gospel mantra that usually takes place in a vacuum. By that I mean, ranking whatever number it is in yards or points, for example, is meaningless unless it takes into account the actual statistics for other teams
in the rankings.
Last season, the Denver Broncos were 10th in total yards at 342.7 per game and 14th in points per game (23.6 average). The Baltimore Ravens were 16th (smack dab in the middle of the 32-team league) in yards at 332.2 per game and 11th in points (24.9 per game). The Kansas City Chiefs were 20th in yards (320.7 average) and 21st in points (21.3).
It’s easy to see that the difference in yards per game between the Broncos and Ravens (seven ranking spots) was only 10.5 per game and 22.0 per game between the Broncos and Chiefs (11 spots).
So, where did the Cardinals fit? They were 19th in yards (325.8), but only 16.9 fewer per game than the Broncos encompassing 10 spots in the ranking. In points, the Cardinals were 23rd at 20.9 per game, just 3.7 fewer than the Broncos.
That’s how thin the margins can be in a league where there many one-score games every year.
Last season, after the first two games, the Cardinals were 0-8 in one-score games with seven by four points or fewer including losses to the 49ers, Seahawks, Colts (when they were hot), Packers and Jaguars (an overtime loss). Those teams were a combined 56-28-1 in 2025.
However, I’m not here to talk as much about the offense as the defense, for which a case can be made for progress this season, even though it is consistently trashed and the early narrative is that coordinator Nick Rallis will be out of a job after the season.
A tad early for that, don’t you think?
But here are some startling numbers that are overlooked in the haze of negativity that enveloped the defense during the nine-game losing streak to end last season.
After defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, the Cardinals were 3-5. At that time, they ranked 11th in points allowed per game (21.4), tied for 20th in yards (335.4), 13th in yards per play, 12th against the run (103.6) and 10th on third down (36.1 percent).
Most important, the offense had an average time of possession of 31:53, which ranked fifth in the league.
Unfortunately, inside linebacker and play-relayer Mack Wilson Sr. suffered a serious injury to his ribs in that game and didn’t play again. Walter Nolen III missed four games, Will Johnson three, Garrett Williams and Jalen Thompson two, Budda Baker one and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson five.
After a disruptive game against the Cowboys, his first of the season, Nolen was on the field for an average of only 26.7 snaps in the five games he played in those final nine. In the loss to the Jaguars, he played only six snaps
The offense also failed to complement the defense with only two games with time of possession over 30 after having six in the first eight games. There were four at 26:20 or less including a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals where they had the ball for only 19:04. After being fifth in TOP after eight games, the final ranking dropped to 21st.
It all took its toll on the defense. Rushing yards against ballooned to 147.7 per game, the third-down defense allowed conversions of 49.1 percent and six blowouts by 17 points or more had an average margin of defeat at 21.5.
Looking forward, a healthy Nolen is crucial this season because he is simply a potential game-changer. The health of edge rusher Josh Sweat and Williams in the slot is also paramount.
Yes, the pass rush must be more than Sweat (Jordan Burch, come on down), but most important is stopping the run to set up more known-pass situations. The Cardinals had 17 sacks after eight games last season and only 13 in the final nine.
To those that bemoaned the lack of defensive moves in the offseason, it’s true there were no splash additions. In the NFL, that’s usually not the best way to build a roster, even though the outside noise prefers it because it looks good and is exciting. Reality is that overpaying in March often leads to pain three or four years later.
While the signings in the offseason of nose tackles Roy Lopez and Andrew Billings, along with inside linebacker Jack Gibbens and safety Andrew Wingard, didn’t excite the fan base, they should provide upgrades to those up-the-middle positions, the area of the field just as important as in other major sports.
Obviously, time will tell and yes, you can call me crazy ... again. But the ingredients are there for the defense to be trending in the fight direction as it was after eight games last season only to crash and burn.
Sometimes, you need a bit of good fortune.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Can the Arizona Cardinals also shock the football world on defense?
