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After consecutive losses to the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, the Arizona Cardinals have now put together back to back wins against the San Francisco 49ers and now New York Jets. Sitting at 3-3 after a rough start, the Cardinals will get the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, a chance to start their fight for the NFC West.
- Carson Palmer was surgical with his intermediate throws (10-19 yards down the field). Palmer completed 9 of 10 passes from that distance, for 107 yards and a touchdown.
- David Johnson agility and speed continue to cause problems for defenses. Johnson forced three missed tackles, and 82 of his 111 yards came after contact.
- Jared Veldheer had his best pass protection performance of the season earning a 84.9 pass blocking grade. Veldheer only allowed one QB hurry on 40 pass blocking snaps against the Jets’ defense.
- Larry Fitzgerald lead the team in targets, but the Cardinals were distributing the ball with ease. Eight different players caught a pass from Drew Stanton or Palmer on Monday. No player had more than six catches, and no one had more than 60 yards.
- Chandler Jones continues to make the trade with the Patriots look even better. Jones had one hit and seven hurries on 40 pass rushing snaps. He received an 87.5 pass rushing grade, leading the team.
- Markus Golden has continued to get better in his second season. He has graded out positively as a run defender in every game this season. He added two more run stops on Monday, bringing his total to 18 this season, which also matches his 2015 totals.
- Tyrann Mathieu gave up six catches on nine targets. He also recorded one deflection and an interception. He's slowly rounding back into form as a slot corner.
- DJ Swearinger lead all Cardinal defensive backs with a 86.4 coverage grade. He added two run stops, and an interception on the Jets lone touchdown chance.
- Patrick Peterson had his worst coverage grade since Week 14 of the 2014 season. He was thrown at five times, yielding three catches for 65 yards. He gave up two grabs on four attempts to Brandon Marshall. One was the 36 yard catch and run, and another was perfect coverage which was just an incredible grab by Marshall. The QB rating was 104.2 when targeting Peterson.
Other Notes:
After six weeks, Palmer is the 29th ranked Quarterback. His 51.0 grade ranks him behind Trevor Siemian and Aaron Rodgers.
David Johnson is the number two runningback behind Le'Veon Bell. Davids 81.1 is hurt by a week pass blocking grade of 45.7.
Larry Fitzgerald comes in as the number two receiver for a second week. He sits behind Julio Jones 88.7, with an 86.2. His 78.7 run blocking grade is fifth among receivers.
Darren Fells and Jermaine Gresham grade out 32nd and 47th respectively. Fells is the only Cardinals tight end with a positive pass blocking grade.
Jared Veldheer is the 20th ranked tackle in the league, with DJ Humphries being the 33rd. Veldheer has a pass block grade of 80.9. Humphries grades out with an 83.1 run blocking grade.
John Wetzel and Earl Watford and 65 and 66 through their first two games. Neither has a positive grade in any aspect. Mike Iupati is still the eighth best guard in the NFL.
A.Q. Shipley is the 6th best center in the league. His 78.2 pass block and 78.8 run block are above average.
Patrick Peterson slipped outside the top 10 for the first time this season, following a rough game. He sits at 14th so far this season.
Tony Jefferson fell to 4th best safety thus far. DJ Swearinger has climbed into the top 40.
Kevin Minter and Deone Bucannon have gotten better as the season goes on. Both are top 40, compared to their top 60 status early in the season.
Calais Campbell is the #2 interior defender. He sits behind only Aaron Donald.
Chandler Jones continues to wreak havoc. He sits at #4 on the Edge Defenders rankings. Markus Golden is 24th.
The Cardinals are getting better and better. They will have to continue to improve against Seattle in Week 7.
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