Arizona Cardinals offensive line will be the X-Factor in Week 4 against San Francisco
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals offensive line has its work cut out for them, as they are facing a monster pass rush led by none other than Nick Bosa. Bosa may have just one sack in three games, but he also has six quarterback hits and four hurries, showing us that he’s still the impressive EDGE rusher he has always been.
But it goes beyond Nick Bosa, as San Francisco’s entire front seven is full of stars from the top on down. As a unit, they have eight sacks on the season and an 8.2% quarterback knockdown percentage, which puts them in the middle of the NFL. But they are fourth with a 15.0% hurry percentage, and this is something the Cardinals offensive line cannot allow this weekend.
Arizona Cardinals offensive line must bring its A-Game in Week 4
The upside, however, is that the line did just enough to help the Cardinals score 28 points in last week’s upset win over the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas also has a relentless defense, with a 12.8% quarterback knockdown percentage that ranks fifth in the NFL after last week.
They are also tied for third in sacks, behind only the Detroit Lions and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their 29.1% pressure percentage is also fifth in the league, so it’s not like the Cardinals aren’t used to playing against opponents with strong numbers in their front seven.
If the Arizona Cardinals line comes out and enjoys a performance similar to the one they had last week, they will be fine. Sure, the Niners have a dangerous unit, as the numbers above indicate. But if the Cardinals played Dallas so well, they can do the same thing against San Francisco, which will make this outing yet another one that will be closer than anticipated.
But if the Cardinals offensive line overthinks things, then it will be a long afternoon in California. They just need to play their game, realize they faced a similar unit last week, and once again make it possible for Josh Dobbs and Company to score what will be much-needed points.
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(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)