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As we get for every Arizona Cardinals game, Pro Football Focus shares some of their grading highlights and player performances. In the 27-3 win the Cardinals had over the St. Louis Rams, we get some info from both sides of the ball. The offensive line and pressure on Carson Palmer continue to be something to note.
PFF continues to give the left side of the Cardinals offensive line high grades and the the right side low grades. Both Jared Veldheer and Mike Iupati came out of the game with +3.5 grades. Iupati, not known for his pass protection, continued to play well, not allowing a single pressure. Ted Larsen and Bobby Massie both got -4.8 grades.
In PFF's signature stats, Massie is second to last among 60 ranked tackles in pass blocking efficiency.
Those grades can be attributed in part to the fact that quarterback Carson Palmer faced a lot of pressure. he was pressured on 15 of his 42 dropbacks. He did well when pressured, completing 9/13 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. On the season, he has an "accuracy percentage under pressure" of 71 percent, which would rank him fourth in the league in that particular stat.
While the team ran the ball extremely well, the only thingnoted was how David Johnson forced four missed tackles on the day.
On the defensive side of the ball, we have a few notes.
One is in coverage. Justin Bethel, starting place of the injured Jerraud Powers and now much richer with a new contract extension, played well. The Rams went after him a lot, targeting him 10 times. He "allowed" only two catches and defended two passes. Patrick Peterson only allowed 40 yards on six targets, 24 of which came on one play.
Markus Golden, who rushed the passer 24 times, did not get a sack, but did pressure Nick Foles six times.
Calais Campbell had himself another quiet game. He did not register a tackle in 45 snaps and he hit Nick Foles once.
Ed Stinson, coming back from missing the game against the 49ers, was noticeably active and played well against the run. He was second on the team with four tackles and PFF gave him the highest grade on the defense against the run (+1.2). After the Niners game, the defensive line was called out for its play. It was much better this week.