3 things the Arizona Cardinals did right in Week 17 that they must take into the season finale
By Sion Fawkes
3 - Rushing defense must show up one more time
Perhaps no one surprised last week as much as the Arizona Cardinals rushing defense, which held the Eagles to just 91 yards on the ground in 23 attempts, good for an average of 4.0 yards per carry. It was statistically their best performance of the season, and ironically enough, it came just one week after they put up their worst outing of the year when they allowed 250 rushing yards against the Chicago Bears.
Krys Barnes led the charge last week, posting seven tackles and one stop behind the line, but it was overall a collective solid effort from a unit that desperately needed a strong game. And this week, the Cardinals defense is playing a very middle-of-the road rushing offense, with the Seahawks tied for 20th in the league with 4.0 yards per carry this year.
They don’t run the ball often, and it’s why they have among the lowest number of rushing yards through 16 games. But if the Cards can fully force Seattle to go one-dimensional, it could play into its passing defense’s favor for once this season.
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(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference and ESPN.com)