Arizona Cardinals lack of identity and 3 major takeaways in blowout loss vs. Rams

The Arizona Cardinals have absolutely no identity, and it showed in Sunday’s 23-point loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs with the
Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs with the / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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Kyren Williams, Budda Baker #
Los Angeles Rams v Arizona Cardinals / Christian Petersen/GettyImages

2 - Cardinals rushing defense is a mess

One of the burning questions heading into this contest asked whether the Arizona Cardinals would stop the Rams rushing attack. The rushing defense gave us a hard no, and it was by far the worst they have looked all season. 

Running back Kyren Williams, playing for the first time since the Cardinals Week 6 loss at So-Fi Stadium, rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries, good for 8.9 yards per. But it got even worse, as RB2 Royce Freeman joined in for 13 carries and 77 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per.

The Cardinals rushing defense gave up 228 yards on 33 carries, which equaled 6.9 yards per. Now the burning question is, What will the Pittsburgh Steelers do to them next week? Given Kenny Pickett’s overall inefficacy, it’s fair to say that even in the hours following this blowout loss, that Pittsburgh will be using the run to open up the pass.