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Despite everyone and their mother spewing that they totally saw this game coming, no one actually did. At least anyone who had paid attention to the Cardinals for the past year. Everything seemed to break down against the Saints with the exception of the run defense, but then again, has New Orleans ever run the football?
On that happy note, let's get to what the Cardinals did worst on Sunday:
Tackling - The defense is not hitting low or wrapping up. Similar to week one against the Rams, the Saints ran roughshod all over the team. It didn't matter if it was Brees, Sproles or Graham, a Cardinals player would fail to bring them down.
Offensive Line - By halftime, the Saints had 3 sacks, 6 hits, 10 hurries. That's awful for a team with an average offensive line. The Cardinals have a bad o-line, led by Levi Brown and Eric Winston. The Saints were getting pressure all day by only rushing four men and manhandled the Cardinals.
Turnovers - The coaching philosophy is predicated on turnovers. The offense that needs to take care of the ball better. But the defense has really been failing. The philosophy is supposed to allow big yardage in exchange for turnovers and the team is not doing that right now.
3rd Down - The Cardinals started 3 for 4 into the second quarter, but finished 5 for 13 on third down. The problem this week was the distance. It was normal to see third and 7 or third and 10. The failure on first and second downs put the offense in bad positions on third down all game.
Catching - The wide receivers and running backs dropped passes all day. Were many of them in tight coverage? Yes, welcome to the NFL. Most of them are young, but they need to learn how to get their hands on a ball when a defender is breathing on them.
More from Revenge of the Birds:
- Cardinals Week 3 Recap; Arizona @ New Orleans 31-7
- Sunday Night Football open thread: Bears/Steelers
- Cardinals lose to the Saints 31-7
- NFL Week 3, late game open thread: Colts Vs. 49ers
- Cardinals vs. Saints 2nd half open thread