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With the way the season has gone, it is easy to see where the Arizona Cardinals struggle, but one thing that has been apparent is that they are not the same offense as before.
That was highlighted even more this week, where a bad offense could not be fixed with a below average defense.
Brian Burke of ESPN had an interesting Tweet that highlights just how bad the Cardinals are this year:
Team Expected Points Added per Game. X-axis is offense. Y-axis is defense. Up and right are good. "Fisher Line" added to demarcate net mediocrity. pic.twitter.com/JllkBC46CD
— Brian Burke (@bburkeESPN) December 5, 2017
The Arizona Cardinals defense is not bad... They are not good either, but they are not bad. They are a top 12-15 team in defensive expected points added per game, which is... average.
However, they are bad, bad, bad on offense.
The teams they are ranked with or slightly ahead of: Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants.
Those are not teams you want to find yourself with in any offensive categories, just not a great group.
This is not unexpected. Third string quarterback. Aging wide receiver and running back as the main offensive weapons, poor performances from a number of key players and an offensive line that has been in tatters.
The Cardinals are what their record says they are... A below average team.