but i watched last nights game and ARIZONA is a sound team,I watched them last week to and they are good.
They are, key. But I wasn't too impressed with their game last night: If MIN takes care of the ball, Cards could have easily lost that game. I know that creating turnovers is a big part of their defense, but that first fumble was just bad play by the receiver imo and the sack fumble on the last play is bad judgement by a young QB more than a great pass rush play by Freeney. In general the defense just gives up too many big plays rather easily, in part because they have a below average pass rush. Imo that will hurt them badly in the playoffs.
Offensively they have a bunch of weapons and make lots of Yards, but their redzone struggles are a huge red flag imo when it comes to playoff football. Especially since imo part of their struggles can be attributed to Arians and his coaching staff/playcalling: Opening drive they march down the field, RB Johnson runs 4 times for 3, 3, 5 and 6 yards. His last two runs came in the redzone and went for 5 and 6yards. Your opponents defense can't stop the run, is missing arguably their two best run defenders incl. THE key run defender NT Joseph and has been on the field for about 8min nonstop and you call a timeout on offense, instead of keeping to pound the ball? Then after that timeout you come back to throw it three times??? Results in another FG instead of a TD.
Then after Johnson later in the game is ruled down at the 2yard line after a 24yard gain, you take your best RB out and replace him with Taylor? Your no1 guy even got a breather thanks to the play being reviewed... And when Taylor gets stopped for no gain on 1st and goal at the 2, once again you revert to b2b passes resulting in a sack and short gainer and have to settle for another FG....
Up 20-13 with 12min to go, your RB1 Johnson doesn't step onto the field for the entire drive? Instead you hand it off 3 consecutive times to his backup and produce a 3 and out...
So your (rather big) RB1, who successfully ran for most of the night (and did the same the week before), isn't on the field when you try to run down the clock and gets exactly zero carries inside the opposing 10 in your two X and goal opportunities....
Just don't get that kind of thinking, imo that's a prime example of coaches outsmarting themselves and doesn't surprise me, that ARI is having those redzone struggles.
