Flying High in Phoenix

            In case anybody was still wondering, these are not the same old Cardinals. Despite a slow start to the 2009 campaign, dropping two of the first three games, the Arizona Cardinals are now 4-2 and back in first place in the NFC West. Not only that, they are also 3-0 on the road, including two wins on the east coast where they could not seem to win last season before going to Carolina for during the playoffs. And no one can say that they have not beaten any quality opponents either. Their latest victory came over the New York Giants who started the season 5-0 before losing to the Saints last week, and now the Cards.

Last year the Cardinals were able to get by with a mediocre defense while relying heavily on one of the league’s most potent offenses. It is impossible to tell whether or not they would be able to do that again this year. The offense is still firing away, through the air at least, but the defense has improved by leaps and bounds over last year’s squad. In fact, the Cardinals have the league’s number one run defense, they are only giving up an average of 67.5 yards per game. They have also been very good at taking the ball away with fifteen turnovers, eight fumble recoveries and seven interceptions. The only thing the defense is lacking, is consistent play against the pass. While they may have the top run defense, they rank toward the bottom in passing defense giving up an average of 257.7 yards per game.

Those numbers should only get better next week when the Cardinals welcome the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers were a very good football team last year, but have not been the same since the 33-13 beating they took at the hands of the Cardinals in last year’s playoffs. In that game, Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions. So far this season he has thrown ten to go with 847 yards and only four touchdowns. The team as a whole has only managed to score ten touchdowns while going 2-4, and looking at their upcoming schedule, they may not win another game until December. They do however bring in the league’s number two pass defense giving up a total of 898 yards and seven touchdowns, those numbers should expand considerably after next weekend.

Aside from working consistency in the secondary, the Cardinals need to put more effort into running the football. After six games they only have a total of 360 yards. Rookie Beanie Wells leads the team with 191 yards and a touchdown, while second year veteran Tim Hightower is a close second with 167 yards and four touchdowns. In their victory over the Houston Texans two weeks ago, the Cardinals were running the ball fairly well in the first quarter, but for no reason at all they abandoned the run almost completely. After taking a 21-0 lead into the half, they needed to rely on a magnificent defensive effort on a goal line stand, which held on four downs within the three yard line, to win 28-21. As they learned last year, they will need a strong running game to make it through the playoffs. And if they can keep playing the way they are now, the Cardinals could be looking at winning at least twelve games this year, with only Minnesota and Green Bay the only two teams left on their schedule that should give them trouble. A 12-4 record at the end of the season had better earn them a little more respect from the national media than they got last year throughout the playoffs.