Cardinals vs. Packers grades: Defense shines in blowout win per PFF

The Arizona Cardinals played very well both on offense and on defense on Sunday afternoon en route to a 38-8 blowout win over the Green bay Packers. The eye test showed it, the stats showed it and the grades Pro Football Focus gives out also show it.

Arizona had eight defenders who graded "in the green" (a grade of +1.0 or higher). Linebacker Dwight Freeney led the way with a +4.6, as he racked up three sacks, five hurries, three penalties drawn and a forced fumble. He dominated.

Arizona's tackling was on point. Two weeks ago, the defense missed 11 tackles. They missed only one against the Eagles and only three on Sunday. They were credited with 32 defensive stops, which are tackles made before a certain yardage, depending on which down it is.

We know how good the pass rush was. In terms of numbers, they collected nine sacks, 16 hurries and one QB hit.

Frostee Rucker and Rodney Gunter were graded the best against the run. Patrick Peterson and Deone Bucannon did very well in coverage. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher said Peterson allowed only one catch for three yards to Randall Cobb, who had 77 catches coming into the game.

Cornerback Justin Bethel had an up and down game. He graded out a -2.8. Essentially his lows were more than his highs. He gave up seven catches, five that went for first downs. He was penalized twice. He gave up the two-point conversion. He missed a tackle. There were two other passes his way that were dropped. However, he intercepted a pass in the end zone. He made a tackle at the goalline to end another drive. So...good and bad.

How good has Patrick Peterson been all year? According to PFF, he has allowed only 0.58 yards per coverage snap. That is the best in the league -- better than Richard Sherman, Josh Norman, Aqib Talib and everyone else.