3 things the Arizona Cardinals defense must improve in Week 4 against the 49ers
By Sion Fawkes
3 - Cutting down the penalties
The Cardinals have committed 25 total penalties so far for 248 yards. That puts them at fourth and first in the league, respectively, and the 49ers are the last team you need to gift yards to. Among these penalties have been three costly defensive pass interference infractions, and they have also been called for roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness a combined two times. Translation: The Cards aren’t just committing a lot of penalties; they are committing penalties of 15 or more yards regularly.
The worst example of this so far in 2023 came during their 20-16 loss to the Washington Commanders, when they allowed an abysmal 67 penalty yards on a single drive. Yet here we are, three weeks later, and the problem still isn’t even remotely close to solved.
This is a problem on both sides of the football, so it’s something the offense also needs to improve on this Sunday if they plan on winning. And if you have been following the Arizona Cardinals for a while now, you will know that, regardless of who’s coaching this team, penalties have been a recurring theme.
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(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference and Football DB)