Arizona Cardinals: Ranking the Offense

Sep 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton (5) warms up before facing the San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to offense, the Arizona Cardinals rank 18th in the NFL.  With playing Drew Stanton at quarterback the last two weeks, Andre Ellington supposedly has a foot injury which hasn’t been apparent in game play, that seems to be about right.  They sit in the middle of the pack.  The Atlanta Falcons are the number one ranked offense after week three.

The Cards are averaging 335.7 yards of offense a game.  They’ve scored 66 points as a team, 60 of those have been on offense.  The other 6 were on special teams.  One number on offense that does stand out is third down conversions.  They are converting third downs 49 percent of the time, which is good for sixth in the NFL after three weeks.

The Cards are 15th in passing and 21st in rushing.  The 21st in rushing is a little misleading.  They’ve been fine in the rushing game when they’ve needed to run the ball.  The passing game is the offensive strength when you look at the overall picture.  Ellington has rushed for 206 yards this season, which is on pace for 1,100 yards for the season.  The Cards are spreading the wealth amongst their receivers.  Quarterback Carson Palmer spread the ball to 11 different receivers in week one.  Stanton used six against the Giants and six against the Niners.  It’s only going to get better.