Grade The Defense: Cardinals vs Lions
by Andrew602 on Dec 24, 2009 7:00 AM MST
7 comments
In our final touch up of the Cardinals victory against the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, we'll discuss the defense. The best possible summery for the game is this - when the offense turned the ball over, Detroit scored points. When the game was on the line, they didn't. Let's see how they did.
Defensive Line: Two sacks on the day doesn't necessarily stand out as a good performance but considering the Lions quarterbacks completed a measly 16 of 31 passes, I'd say they did alright. The initial surge was consistently coming from Darnell Dockett's side of the line and he single handily stopped the Lions on a key 4th and 1 play in their own red zone. They did have trouble stopping Maurice Morris, who led the team in receptions(5) after benefiting from the screen pass. Another blip for the defensive line was the play of Bryan Robinson. The veteran defensive tackle uncharacteristically unleashed on the referees twice, drawing consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that resulted in a Detroit field goal.
Linebackers: The Cardinals linebackers didn't face a well-known tight end, nor did they face an all-pro running back on Sunday, yet somehow they managed to allow 161 total yards to career-back up Maurice Morris. The blame shouldn't completely fall on the linebackers, but they did blow coverage on the 64 yard touchdown run. The linebackers have also struggled generating pressure on quarterbacks the last four games, registering only 1 sack(Haggans) - yeah, one.
Defensive Backs: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played the game with an injured toe, yet somehow managed to pick off two passes on Sunday. He also did a great job limiting Calvin Johnson to only 3 catches. Antrel Rolle and Bryant McFadden had a solid game while Adrian Wilson nabbed half a sack and is currently one away from 20 total for his career. Looking at the Lions combined quarterback stats[16/31, 129 yards, 3.9 avg 35.5 QB rating] it's obvious this unit shutdown Detroit's passing attack.
My Defensive Grade: B+
It's easy to judge the defense when looking at the scoreboard, but when you take away the turnovers, the Cardinals defense only allowed 10 points. They dominated whatever sliver of a passing game Detroit had left, and if they hadn't given up so many rushing yards their performance would've easily warrented an A. What grade did you give the Cardinals defense and why?
0 recs |
7 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
I picked B for the same reasons.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
No band-wagoner fans allowed, pick a team and stick with em, throughout the good and the bad.
STEP UP OR SIT DOWN!
WIN IN DETROIT WASN’T THAT IMPRESSIVE TO SAY THE LEAST,CARDS NEED TO REALLY BRING THEIR GAME AGN’TS G-MEN IN FINAL WEEK . CARDS AREN’T AS HUNGRY AS THEY WERE LAST YEAR.FOR WHAT EVER REASON THEY REALLY FALL FLAT AT THE WRONG TIME MOST OF THE TIME.NO REAL EXCUSE NOT TO BE ABLE TO STEP UP AND DELIVER KNOCK OUT PUNCH.NEED TO HAVE GAME THAT BLOWS OPP AWAY AND THEN BUSINESS AS USUAL FOLLOWING GAME.IN SINC NOT IN SANE!
-1
Just because you need to lay off the capslock. Good lord. I didn’t even bother reading this.
A man from Dallas who bleeds red, not silver and blue.
The Cardinals were blown out twice the same time last year.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
the level of competition
was not good enough to give a B. I gave a C. (and that’s generous)
With the 3rd string QB Det. came back to tie the game at 17. After we scored to make it 24-17—he brought them back to tie again. Against a team as pathetic as Det. that is unacceptable.
In the playoffs, that type of game will lose to any of our potential opponents (Giants/Packers/Dallas/Philly) that have competent and explosive offenses.
by Cuckoo for Coco Puffs on Dec 24, 2009 11:01 AM MST reply actions
To be fair
Detroit does have some offensive talent, and I believe that 14 of their points came from our turnovers.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
No band-wagoner fans allowed, pick a team and stick with em, throughout the good and the bad.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on Revenge Of The Birds
Related FanShots on Revenge Of The Birds
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
