Cardinals Deep Dive: 3 Problems Standing Between Them and 2-2

Expectations for the 2026 season varied among Arizona Cardinals fans but the most common opinion was that Mike LaFleur's first year with the Cardinals would contain very few wins on the road to another high draft pick.

The first three weeks of the season have already been a roller coaster ride, showing two very different sides of the same team. A potent new offense in Week 1 that surprised the NFL world with a decisive road victory over the Los Angeles Chargers was followed by an embarrassing beatdown by the defending champs in Week 2.

Week 3 on the road in Santa Clara showed a middle ground. A Cardinals team that maintained possession of the ball, converted third downs, and plodded it ways down the field but defensive struggles and a lack of energy on offense led to a one score loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The good news as the Cardinals head back out on the road to face the New York Giants in Week 4 is that the specific issues that plagued the team can theoretically be fixed as they look to even their record to 2-2 and keep the season alive.

Three Fixes to Win in New York

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) throws the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

1. Reduce Penalties

This is the simplest place to start for the Cardinals.

Last week the team was flagged a total of 10 times for a penalty yardage of 86. The majority of those penalties went agains the offense who committed 6 of them with the defense and special teams both contributing two of their own.

One of the more amazing stats from the 49ers game is that the Cardinals dominated time of possession to the tune of nearly 39 minutes to San Francisco's 21. That sort of disparity generally indicates who won the game, but part of why Arizona spent so much time with the ball on drives that were sometimes 14 plays and 8 minutes long were the holding and other penalties that kept the offense repeating downs.

The pattern of penalties is not just a one game sample, either. Currently, the Cardinals are the ninth most penalized team in the NFL but are second in penalty yardage. Even in their win against the Chargers they lost over 110 yards to flags.

The good news is that this is an issue that can, at least theoretically be fixed. The majority of the calls against Arizona are coming from the offensive line on either pre-snap movement or holding. These sorts of issues are generally attributed to coaching.

So the question is, can LaFleur and offensive line coach Justin Frye instill more discipline in their units before the whistle blows at MetLife on Sunday morning? If they can, it could go a long to the Cardinals getting out of their own way and open up a path for the next issue to be fixed.

Trey mcbride — Sep 20, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) scores a touchdown while defended by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) in the second quarter at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2. Find Some Explosive Offense

This is one that is certainly easier said than done as it relies as much on the ability of one team's offense as it does on the other team's defense, or lack thereof.

In the past two weeks, against division rivals Seattle and San Francisco, the Cardinals have not managed a single play over 20 yards. Interestingly, they are tied with their next opponent, the Giants, at the bottom of the NFL in explosive plays this season with only 2 for each team. Both of those came against the Chargers in Week One.

Once again, it seems the issue with this comes down to the offensive line. Pass block win rate measures how often an offensive lineman can hold a block for 2.5 or more seconds. Run block win rate measures how often a lineman generates positive movement on a designated run play.

The Cardinals currently rank 24th in the NFL in run block win rate and an abysmal 31st in pass block win rate. When it comes to generating explosive plays these rankings show why it has been so difficult for the team to get anything going and they both play off each other.

Having an effective run game led by the electric Jeremiyah Love would like produce its own explosiveness with the unique skillset the rookie provides, but it would also open up so many more elements of the passing game that might finally allow the receivers outside of Trey McBride and Michael Wilson to contribute to the game.

Jacoby Brissett led an uninspired, plodding offense last Sunday that controlled the time of possession and kept drives going, but his lack of time to process and throw and the lack of an elite running game to take pressure some pressure off (Love performed fine, it just wasn't electric) led to him forcing targets to Wilson and McBride.

The simple fact is that the offensive line has to play better in both elements of offensive play for LaFleur's scheme to finally click. They will benefit from not having to face Brian Burns in New York, but the onus is on them to find some rhythm and get the offense back on track.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (97) closes in on Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

3. Defense Must Generate Some Pressue

The final fix that could lead to a victory on Sunday in MetLife lies with the defensive line. They absolutely must find a way to start generating some consistent pressure.

Through three games, Nick Rallis' unit has posted mediocre pass-rush metrics. They have not been able to collapse the pocket consistently and are allowing opposing quarterbacks comfortable windows to operate. They have allowed quarterbacks ratings of 130+ to both Drew Lock and Brock Purdy in back-to-back weeks.

When defenses fail to alter a quarterback's setup time, even good secondary converages will eventually break down. We have seen that this lack of pressure from the front line of defense has made the job on the other two levels significantly more difficult than it needs to be and it is putting the young DB group, now missing CB1 Will Johnson, in tight spots.

It does seem fair here to give some credit to the second year Walter Nolen III, who has not been showing in the box scores with big sack numbers but has been winning frequently. He is the only Cardinal with a pass rush win rate in the top 20 of the league at 17%.

The Giants offer a manageable rebound opportunity against an offensive line that remains vulnerable along the interior. If they can force uncomfortable throws from backup Jameis Winston it should help out the secondary and shorten drives.

That would go a long way toward preventing defensive burnout and could well be the difference between a win and a loss this week.

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