The Arizona Cardinals haven’t played well in their last two games. What was supposed to be a ‘get-back’ game against the Detroit Lions was a disaster. This week, the Cardinals will have to get back on track against what will be their toughest schematic test of this season. With the Indianapolis Colts in town, Arizona’s defense prepares to take on the NFL’s top running back in Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor has been one of 2021’s finest breakout players. He comes into this Christmas Day clash fresh off a stellar performance against the New England Patriots last week. Taylor is the best runner in the NFL, and it’s up to Arizona’s underwhelming run defense to stop him. In a crucial game that could finally clinch Arizona’s return to post-season football, to win will require their defense to assail what will be their toughest schematic test of 2021.
Jonathan Taylor Presents Cardinals With Toughest Schematic Test of 2021
Taylor Is A True MVP Candidate
The Colts are a solid side and have some stars. Carson Wentz seems to have recovered some semblance of his best, and linebacker Darius Leonard is the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. However, in 2021, the fate of the Colts ostensibly starts and ends with Jonathan Taylor. He leads the league in rushing yards by almost 400 yards, scoring 19 all-purpose touchdowns. Taylor is the truth and is absolutely an MVP candidate in what has been an excellent breakout year.
Taylor is a do-it-all back. This is reflected in the multiple-run scheme deployed by Frank Reich, which exploits and displays the range of Taylor’s talents; although primarily a zone scheme, Reich regularly works in power plays to maintain the dynamism of his offense. There is a symbiotic relationship between the development of zone blocking in this offense and Taylor’s patience as a runner, which allows the establishment of blocks and creates better rushing lanes. Reich’s scheme sets up plays for Taylor to diagnose and attack himself. He has a particular talent for navigating the line of scrimmage on the interior and making his way to the second level, before exploding out to the perimeter.
Add in All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, and what you have is the basis of a running game that has made the Colts one of the best rushing teams in the league this year. The Cardinals had some success against the run this year, making a statement in Week 1 by limiting Derrick Henry. However, the bad news is that Taylor isn’t Henry. He’s a runner far more akin to Dalvin Cook, who Arizona did struggle against. Taylor is going to cause problems for the Cardinals on Saturday.
This Is The Toughest Schematic Test For Arizona’s Underwhelming Run Defense
Now, the Cardinals have been fairly good on defense this year. However, despite being a top-five unit against the pass, the unit is comparably poor against the run; they rank 17th in rush yards given up per game. Unsurprisingly, Arizona’s interior defensive linemen haven’t graded out well in PFF‘s run-defense grades either, ranking mostly in the fifties and forties.
The defensive line has been the worst part of this Arizona defense, and it’s something the group is hearing. Both Corey Peters and Rashard Lawrence addressed doubts about the unit’s ability to take on Taylor this week. Lawrence was quick to acknowledge that the group has underperformed so far this season. He noted that “it’s going to be talked about until we stop it… right now, that’s one of our weaknesses”. However, Lawrence was quick to counter that the group wasn’t getting manhandled at the line, but rather that issues with “gap integrity” were costing Arizona upfront. Peters echoed a reassuring sentiment; although the Cardinals “will have their hands full”, the group “can definitely handle it”.
Unfortunately, what is already an underperforming group is also likely to be understaffed against the Colts, with Jordan Phillips currently considered ‘day-to-day’ with a knee injury. Worryingly, Phillips has been one of Arizona’s better run-defenders on the defensive line and would be a significant absence come Saturday.
The Cardinals Have Pieces To Defend Jonathan Taylor
Arizona’s ability to stop Taylor will decide this game, and they’ll need to play perfectly to do so. At this point of the season, it would be a pipe dream to see significant snaps out of Zaven Collins. Yet, his size and speed might have something to offer against Indy’s violently effective run game. Collins has been an afterthought for much of the year, and that veteran backups like Tanner Vallejo and Joe Walker are keeping him out of the lineup is concerning, but the Cardinals have to consider all options against the Colts. Furthermore, Collins did have some decent plays against the run early in the season, especially against Henry; Vance Joseph has to use everything he has at his disposal.
Otherwise, expect to see a lot of single-high safety on Saturday. Overloading the box with Budda Baker will go some way towards defending not only Taylor but the RPO and zone-read game of Wentz. Again, the Cardinals will have to trust in a return to form from Jalen Thompson on the back end, but the run game has to take precedent. The Cardinals have the speed at linebacker and the tackling ability in the secondary to be somewhat effective against the outside game, but the success of the defensive line will define their ability to efficiently defend Taylor. Arizona has to limit the effectiveness of Indy’s blocking schemes and allow their linebackers and safeties to freely attack Taylor. This is going to be Arizona’s toughest schematic test of the year, and could ultimately define how it ends.
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