Cardinals Insider Breaks Down Arizona's Biggest Weaknesses Ahead of Giants Matchup

With the Arizona Cardinals set to roll into MetLife Stadium on Sunday for a Week 4 meeting with the New York Giants, we checked in with Arizona Cardinals On SI publisher Donnie Druin for firsthand insight into the Cardinals' strengths and where they remain most vulnerable.

Be sure to check out our answers to Druin's questions, which will be published on Friday.

Q: What do you see as the must-win matchup for the Cardinals?

A: The Cardinals have to win the turnover battle. That's a must, especially with Jameis Winston at quarterback in New York. Arizona has one of the league's worst-ranked pass defenses, with next to no help from the pass rush. Any chance of preventing this game from turning into a track meet at MetLife comes down to being opportunistic on defense.

Max Melton has played well for Arizona to begin the season, but I'm eyeing Garrett Williams and his matchup against Darnell Mooney. Williams is in his second game back from a major Achilles injury suffered late last season, but he's the team's best cornerback when healthy.

Q: Why has the offense struggled to get explosive downfield plays?

A: That's one of the biggest questions around the desert. They've been efficient, which is encouraging, but they're at the bottom of the league in explosive plays. I think the biggest reason is that Arizona gets the ball out of Jacoby Brissett's hands quickly.

He has the sixth-fastest average time to throw (2.62 seconds) through three weeks, which doesn't exactly allow plays to develop deep downfield. Teams are also playing two-high coverage at extremely high rates against Arizona, taking away the deep ball and forcing its weapons, who aren't exactly known as YAC monsters, to work underneath.

Q: Trey McBride has been a monster for teams to deal with. What is it about him or how he's being deployed that makes him so tough to slow down?

A: The first part of the equation is opportunity. McBride gets plenty of targets each week because, well, he's arguably the top tight end in the league right now.

He's a bit smaller than some other tight ends, but his ability to win contested catches and hang on to the ball through tough contact, with just enough speed running routes, has been crucial. He plays with a physicality that would make players of the past proud.

Another underrated aspect of his game is his ability to find soft spots in zone coverages and sink, which has made him an easy target for Brissett when things break down.

Q: How secure is Jacoby Brissett at QB? Or should I say, how close are the Cardinals to turning the page to Carson Beck?

A: I still believe the Cardinals are weeks away from rolling out Carson Beck. It's still very early in the season, and the ink is still drying on the $15 million raise Brissett was awarded over the summer. Arizona is very competitive at the moment, which is the essential prerequisite for keeping Brissett in the saddle right now.

However, the worst-kept secret around here is that the Cardinals need to see Beck at some point this season before deciding on the direction of their franchise in 2027. I believe Week 12 or 13 is likely the sweet spot to make the change if they're not winning games.

Q: What is the most glaring spot on the Cardinals that has you concerned in this week's game vs. the Giants?

A: Arizona's inability to get after quarterbacks has been worrisome. The Cardinals made no upgrades to their pass rush over the offseason, and their top sack-getter, Josh Sweat, has been a non-factor. That will give Winston plenty of time to pick apart a very bad pass defense, and as head coach Mike LaFleur put it earlier this week, Winston can toss for 500 yards at any moment.

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