Arizona Cardinals defense needs to create pressure

The Arizona Cardinals defense got no pressure on the New Orleans Saints offense on Sunday

A week after they had 8 sacks against the New York Giants, the Arizona Cardinals failed to register a single sack of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Of those sacks, Chandler Jones had 4 on his own.

Sunday was a different story though.  Sure, we are aware the level of competition was different.  The Saints offensive line is much better.

Still, the Cardinals appeared to be shut down in every instance.  The only blemish on Brees for the entire game?  The interception he threw to Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Peterson’s pick was the second of the season for the team.  The first one was against the Giants by linebacker Jordan Hicks.  However, winning the turnover battle wasn’t nearly enough for the Cardinals against the Saints.

They allowed a 100-yard rusher in Latavius Murray and a 300-yard passer in Brees.  It is hard to beat any offense that performs like that.  It was hard enough the game was in the loud Mercedes-Benz Superdome, one of the loudest venues in the NFL.

That said, they kept the game close for awhile.  The played a bend but don’t break offense until they broke in the 4th quarter.

They got tired.  They were on the field way too long.  Untimely penalties and failure to stop third down conversions were key.

The Cardinals certainly won’t get away with any of that against the San Francisco 49ers, who come into State Farm Stadium Thursday night.  They could be a tougher task than the Saints were.

They have to find a way to get to 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.  He’s been sacked 11 times this year.  He has fumbled 5 times, losing 2 of them, and has been intercepted 7 times.

The only advantage, and its a stretch, is that the game is in Glendale.  However the way the 49ers have moved the ball on offense and how they compliment their own defense, it is imperative the Cardinals limit their mistakes.

They have to create short drives and keep field possession in their favor.  The Cardinals can ill-afford to make mistakes, especially mental ones, if they even want to be in the conversation of winning late in the game.