Cardinals run defense vs. Rams RBs
The Cardinals have stopped no one over the past two weeks. But it’s easy to forget just how well they stormed to and bottled up Derrick Henry in Week 1. That said, the Cardinals have shown they can and will stop the run. But, after facing Henry before facing backs like Dalvin Cook and James Robinson, you’re going to eventually break down and it doesn’t matter how good your rushing defense is.
The Cardinals have a favorable opportunity to put this poor ranking to sleep on Sunday against one of the worst rushing attacks in football. The Rams rank 27th in rushing offense as of Week 4 and they have averaged a meager 3.3 yards per rushing attempt, tied for the second-worst in the NFL next to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have averaged 3.2 yards per attempt.
Of course, much of this has to do with a revolving door at running back for the Rams that started with a season-ending injury to Cam Akers. But the Cardinals can easily force the Rams to go one-dimensional in this one. And while Matthew Stafford has proven himself dangerous through the air over the season’s first three weeks, he has yet to face a defense that has blended the pass rush and takeaways as well as the Cardinals.