Cardinals’ Expected Strength Has Been Unexpected Weakness

The Arizona Cardinals were expected to hold one of the better defensive units in the NFL coming into the 2025 season, with a bevy of added talent and defensive coaches who had done more with less consistently in previous years.

But as the Cardinals were beaten down and run over by the Los Angeles Rams 45-17 on Sunday, Arizona’s defense looked anything but rigid.

But Sunday’s loss wasn’t some kind of outlier. The Cardinals have had solid defensive performances here and there, but the expectation of consistent defensive dominance stands out as yet another unchecked box for 2025.

Cardinals Defense Crushed by Rams

The Cardinals gave up an immense 530 total yards, including 249 on the ground Sunday. They were bitten by the run to a 6.9 yard-per-carry clip, which opened up Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ passing attack to go for 281 and three scores.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon pointed to the lack of run defense as the hinge that allowed Los Angeles to get whatever looks they wanted offensively. In fact, the Cardinals forced only one third down in the entire first half.

“We didn’t stop the run, we got the ball thrown over our head. They played the game on their terms the entire day. … We didn’t get it to third down or [known passing downs] at all,” Gannon said.

Arizona’s inability to stop the run further trickled down, hindering their ability to pressure Stafford. Not once did the Cardinals get home on the veteran QB, while they only managed to pressure him four times in 31 dropbacks (via PFF).

“I think [not stopping the run is] a huge reason of [the lack of pressures],” Gannon said. “What I call a ‘mixed down’ is run or pass. And each play caller is a little bit different. But when you’ve got to play both, it’s really hard to generate a lot of rush. When you get it to known pass… you can play the game on your terms a little bit.

“We never really got to pin our ears back and rush. I mean you’ve got to stop the run and you can’t get the ball thrown over your head. … We’ve got to play with better technique, be more gap-sound. Knock back the line of scrimmage, tackle better, fit better.”

The discouraging part for Cardinals fans, however, is this performance wasn’t all that unique. The Cardinals’ defense — which added a massive amount of talent in the offseason — has struggled to remain above average in most categories.

Cardinals’ Defense Has Been Surprise Weakness this Season

Sunday’s game was the third straight divisional matchup in which Arizona has given up 40 or more points in a loss. Consistently, they’ve struggled (as a unit) to impact opposing QBs, or create stops in the most crucial moments.

It’s not to say there haven’t been excellent individual performances. OLB Josh Sweat has tied his career-high with 11 sacks this year already. Arizona’s DBs have been generally proficient. Walter Nolen III has been effective (when healthy), and Calais Campbell continues to defy father time.

But the Cardinals simply haven’t been a unit that puts fear into opposing squads. With the latest blowout, Arizona ranks 28th in scoring defense, giving up 26.8 points per game. They’re giving up the eighth-most yards per game (374.4), have the eighth-fewest team sacks (24), and own PFF’s 27th-ranked overall defense.

Compared to 2024 — a team with much less defensive talent — that’s 4.5 more points given up per game (22.3) and a pace for over 10 fewer sacks (30.6 compared to 41).

It’s certainly been a combination of factors. Injury issues have plagued the Cardinals’ defensive starters, while they’ve also faced some of the hotter offenses in the league.

But for how many additions, signings and improvements were made, the expectation was for Arizona’s offense to be a complementary arm of a defense-first team. Instead, QB Jacoby Brissett is racking up plenty of passing yards while the Cardinals are out of games before halftime.

Inevitably, it all does stem from stopping opponents on early downs. But it’s felt as if the Cardinals have just been one step behind their opponents all season. The front seven hasn’t won one-on-one reps at a consistent rate. The secondary, though full of capable DBs, feels limited to a more prevent-looking zone coverage.

And players who have shown themselves to be true impact players (such as Nolen or CB Will Johnson) have struggled to stay on the field.

The Cardinals’ defense serves as a bit of a microcosm of their overall 2025. Despite high expectations, they simply haven’t been able to execute at the individual or team level, despite clearly possessing enough talent to cause problems for their opponents.