The Arizona Cardinals had a miserable season defensively in 2019. They were at the bottom or near the bottom in many categories.
They were last in the league in total defense, in terms of yards per game. They were 31st against the pass, 24th against the run and 28th in scoring defense. They were tied for 28th in touchdowns allowed. They were 27th in yards allowed per play.
However, there is optimism. Their play defensively was much improved in the final four games of the season.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he “was really impressed with the last quarter and how he stuck with it, and we really started playing solid defense at the end.”
How much better was the defense over the final four games? The team’s vice president for media relations, Mark Dalton, shared the numbers.
Coach Kingsbury mentioned defensive improvement over last quarter of season & stats bear that out:
NFL rank over last 4 games:
Yds allowed / Play: 8th
Total yds allowed: 11th
Pass yds allowed: 8th
TDs allowed: 13th
Sacks: 10th pic.twitter.com/JR56nPubsC— Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) December 30, 2019
They were an above-average defense over the final four games and a top-10 defense in some stats. They were eighth in yards per play allowed, 11th in total yards allowed, eighth in passing defense, 13th in touchdowns allowed and 10th in sacks.
Those numbers are more in line with what the Cardinals had in mind before the season began. They also did that with two rookies and a first-year player in the secondary and after losing six defensive linemen they were counting on.
If anything else, the future doesn’t look bleak defensively. With the Cardinals retaining defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, they will have the same defensive system for the second year in a row.
It doesn’t guarantee a top defense in 2020, but the final month suggests they could be an above-average unit, which is more than enough for the team to be a playoff contender. Were they an above-average defensive team in 2019, they would very possibly still be alive and getting ready for the playoffs.
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Ep. 253:
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Ep. 252:
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