The Monday Night Football game, between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, has yet to be played, but Week four of the 2016 NFL season is essentially in the books. There is still a lot of football yet to be played, but at this point in the season a somewhat clearer picture has started to develop.
Among other things, NFL fans now know the New England Patriots get Tom Brady back this week and Bill Belichick’s team will be fine despite getting shutout by the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday. The San Diego Chargers can’t hold onto a lead. The Vikings defense, and possibly their entire team, is for real. The Carolina Panthers don’t look like last season’s Super Bowl runner up and they might miss Josh Norman more than everyone though they would. And the Los Angeles Rams are better than everyone thought they would be and, with their schedule, they might even make the playoffs this season.
What is surprising, but also now known, is that the Arizona Cardinals offense does not look right.
The Arizona Cardinals Offense Does Not Look Right
After winning the division and coming within a game of reaching the Super Bowl last season, the Cardinals came into the 2016 season as one the favorites to represent the NFC in Houston at the Super Bowl. But they are now 1-3 and tied for last place in the NFC West.
Offensive Struggles
The Cardinals offense simply isn’t getting the job done in 2016. Last season Carson Palmer and company averaged 408.3 yards per game (first in the NFL), 288.5 passing yards per game (second in the league) and 119.8 rushing yards per game (eight in the NFL). In 2016 the Cards offense is now averaging 382.0 yards per game (seventh overall), 281.3 passing yards per game (seventh in the NFL) and 100.8 rushing yards per game (15th in the league). Last season Arizona scored an average of 30.6 points per game (second in the league only to the Panthers). But so far in 2016 the Cardinals offense is averaging 23.0 points per game (14th in the NFL).
The Cardinals did manage to score 40 points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week two. But if you take out that game, they are averaging 17.3 points per game in their other three contests (all losses). The Cardinals have not scored in the first quarter in any of their four games this season. That stat has to change if the team wants to get back to their winning ways from a season ago.
The issue could be that the other teams in the NFL have figured out how to stop the high powered Cardinals offense from a season ago. Maybe the Cardinals woes on offense can be attributed to the fact that they don’t have an identity. But Bruce Arians needs to get his team back on track if they hope to win the division, or at least make the playoffs, and then make a deep run in the postseason.
Defense Is Not the Issue
On defense the Cardinals are hovering right around their numbers from 2015, except in rushing yards allowed. In 2015 Arizona gave up 91.3 rushing yards per game (sixth in the league), but in 2016 they are allowing 110.0 rushing yards per game (tied for 20th in the NFL).
While Arizona’s defense hasn’t looked as dominant as they did last season that side of the ball is not the issue.
The Cardinals problems are on offense. Unfortunately for them, they need to have really short memories and get ready for a divisional matchup on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, possibly without Palmer, who is undergoing concussion protocol, under center.
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