The Key Component to the Arizona Cardinals Success
Why are the Arizona Cardinals so hot? It definitely isn’t the fact that they’re from the valley of the sun.
The Arizona Cardinals survive another week atop the NFC West. This week, the Oakland Raiders were the victims as they were taken down as the Cardinal’s fifth win of the season. In a closer game than expected, the Cardinals topped the winless Raiders with a score of 24-13. The Arizona Cardinals have now won 12 of their last 15 games, and are only one of four teams in the NFL with a number one in the loss column.
The biggest component of the Arizona Cardinals success thus far has definitely been the defense. Cardinals’ defense held Oakland to just 13 first down conversions and holding them to just 4.6 yards per play. Their defense in the red zone has been almost lights out as they allowed the Raiders a 50% red zone conversion rate, matching what they allowed the Redskins in week six.
With the offensive struggles the Arizona Cardinals have gone through because of injuries within their quarterbacks, they would not be standing atop the NFC West standings at a record of 5-1. Their defense has been carrying them even with the losses of Darryl Washington, Calais Campbell, Matt Shaughnessy, Darnell Dockett, and John Abraham.
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A player who has really stepped it up is the second-year pro from the University of Texas, Alex Okafor. Okafor has taken on the role of linebacker in absence of Shaughnessy, and already had two sacks in week six against Washington. Through all of the injuries, the Arizona Cardinals have managed to still turn the struggles into success from key performances like Alex Okafor’s. The world has yet to see a fully healthy Cardinals team.
With Seattle’s loss to St. Louis and San Francisco’s loss to Denver, the Cardinals have a two game window that allows breathing room; much needed breathing room to be specific. The Cardinals take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, and the Dallas Cowboys the following week, also teams with one loss. This will definitely be the Cardinals big test. However, having that two game lead in the NFC West is definitely ideal going into these tough two games.
Kickoff for Sunday’s game against the Eagles is at 1:05 pm MST, the Cardinals look to stay undefeated at home this season, improving to a record of 6-1 and building their lead atop the NFC West.