3 favorable matchups for the Cardinals in Week 7 vs. the Texans

Cardinals pass rush vs. Texans offensive line

The Cardinals pass rush came to life against the Cleveland Browns, resulting in J.J. Watt achieving his first sack as a Cardinal. And this all came without the help of Chandler Jones, who was sidelined with COVID-19.

Now, the Cardinals are facing a weaker opponent in the Houston Texans, and Jones should be back in the lineup, adding another dimension against a rookie quarterback in Davis Mills. So far, the Cardinals have faced two rookie quarterbacks and held them to just 29 points. 22 points, really, if you factor out the kick-six against Jacksonville.

So far, the Cardinals are fifth in the league in sacks with 17. They are also among the top 10 in knockdown rate, at 11.3 percent, and they’re eighth in the league in blitz rate with 29.9 percent. Look for the Cardinals to add pressure to Mills. While Mills has shown flashes, he’s also generated fewer than 10 points for the Texans during his five starts.

The Cardinals are also sixth in quarterback hits, with 39 quarterback hits, eighth in sack yards, and so far, have allowed a quarterback rating of just 85.3, which ranks fifth in the NFL. Much of it begins and ends with the guys up front.