I did not expect the Arizona Cardinals defense to be this bad in 2017

When the 2017 season started, I wondered how long it would take for the defense, with so many moving parts, to gel and become a dominant unit again.

Well, 11 games into the season, the answer seems to be… it won't.

What I didn't expect from the 2017 Arizona Cardinals was to be such a bad defensive team.

They rank 26th in points allowed per game at 25.3, they rank 19th in touchdown passes allowed, 28th in touchdown runs allowed and are only 18th in turnovers forced.

In fact, there are only two categories where the defense is ranked in the top ten, rushing yards allowed (10th) and yards per carry (6th).

While the loss of Markus Golden certainly hurt, it wasn't as though he was having a huge impact early, the Cardinals allowed 22.7 points per game with Golden.

How bad has the defense been this season?

In the five seasons under Bruce Arians the Cardinals allowed: 324, 299, 313, and 362 points in a season.

With the pace they are on, the Cardinals will surpass the 362 points given up in 2016 by game 14.

The Cardinals are on pace to give up over 400 points for only the tenth time in franchise history, the first since 2010.

The Cardinals showed some life in their 27-24 win over the Jags, but the defense still allowed 24, 21 in the second half and get the second ranked scoring offense in the NFL in the Rams this week.

It's time for the defense to step up, or become one of the worst units in franchise history.