Six Points: The Cardinals have opened some eyes

Heading into play on Sunday, if you asked most experts or fans who the elite teams in the NFC were, you’d get a short list of answers. Minnesota, New Orleans, Atlanta and the New York Giants would be the most common responses.

Well, now you can add the Arizona Cardinals to the mix.

The Redbirds went to the Meadowlands and impressively beat the G-Men 24-17, to regain an exclusive hold on first place in the NFC West, and push their record to 4-2 on the season. Maybe more impressively is the Cardinals’ 3-0 road record.

Here’s six points that really stood out for the Cardinals during their win on Sunday…

1

The Cardinals don’t have to outscore teams to beat them. You’d expect a Cardinals road win over the Giants to include Kurt Warner throwing for 400 yards, and the score to creep into the 40s. Not so fast. The Cardinals were actually outgained by the Giants, 327 to 288. Warner threw for only 231 yards. So, how did they win?
The Cardinals’ defense is vastly improved over a year ago. Arizona forced 4 Giants’ turnovers, and harassed Eli Manning all night long. Outside of a fluky touchdown off of a tipped ball, the secondary was nearly flawless.
I’ve always wondered what the Cardinals were capable of if their defensive intensity matched their offensive firepower. Last night was a good example of it.

2

DRC. On previous posts on this very website, and our daily podcast “The Show To Be Named Later”, I’ve said that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is all or nothing. Those thoughts were echoed by NBC’s know-it-all analyst Cris Collinsworth word for word during the telecast.
We’ve seen the good (DRC’s interception return for a touchdown to nail down the NFC West title against St. Louis last year) and the bad (his tackling effort earlier this season against Houston). We saw the good side of DRC last night in New Jersey. His first quarter interception on a long pass intended for Domenik Hixon was a thing of beauty, especially since DRC is playing with a heavily wrapped hand. In the 2nd quarter, DRC made another play, going up high to deflect a ball, that Hakeem Nicks caught in stride and took to the house for a 62-yard td and a 7-point Giants’ lead.
It wasn’t DRC’s fault, he actually made the play, the ball just took a bad bounce. Other than an ankle injury that sidelined him for a good portion of the second half, it was a very promising performance by #29.

3

Big kudos to the offensive line. Admit it. After the Indianapolis Colts’ d-line pushed around the Cards’ offensive front, sacking Kurt Warner four times earlier this year, you started looking on the schedule to see what other teams the Cardinals faced in ‘09 with strong pass rushes. Ok, that was me, and the game that really concerned me was the matchup against the Giants. There were rumblings heading into the season that the Giants’ defensive line might be the best ever. Justin Tuck is a stud, Osi Umenyiora is back from injury and Mathias Kiwanuka is a pass rushing specialist. Their constant pressure against maligned Cardinals’ tackles Mike Gandy and Levi Brown could make for a long night.
Guess what? Gandy and Brown won the battle. The Cardinals allowed only 2 sacks on the night, and really did a nice job of neutralizing Tuck and Umenyiora, who combined for only one quarterback hurry.

4

Fumbling still a problem. When the normally sure-handed Tim Hightower fumbled for the 3rd time this season on the opening drive on Sunday, you had to ask yourself the question, “now what are they gonna do?” As a rookie in 2008, Hightower fumbled only once in 177 touches. This season, he’s already put the ball on the carpet 3 times in 86 touches. Couple that with the fact that Beanie Wells (who also fumbled on Sunday) has fumbled three times in 53 chances, and the Cardinals are running out of options for a sure-handed running back.
Wells has already been forced to carry around a football with him everywhere he goes after a 2-fumble day at Jacksonville. Maybe somebody needs to write a big #34 on another ball and present it to Hightower.

5

I hate to look ahead but… The Cardinals, who have won 3 straight, have a stretch of 5 games where they should win a minimum of 4. Only a trip to Chicago to take on the Bears on November 8th has the potential to prevent the Cards from an 8-game winning streak. The other four teams the Cardinals play during that stretch (Carolina, Seattle, St. Louis, Tennessee) have combined for a 4-21 record in 2009.

6

The unsung heroes. Hats off to defensive tackle Alan Branch, and defensive backs Michael Adams, Ralph Brown and Matt Ware. Branch, who was on the bubble to even make the team in training camp after a disappointing first two seasons in the league. Branch not only made the squad, but has been a force. He registered the first two quarterback sacks of his career against the Giants. Adams, a special teams demon, was forced into action after DRC’s ankle injury, and he produced with 3 tackles and one pass defensed. Brown was his normal steady self with 5 tackles, and Ware forced and recovered a fumble late in the 4th quarter to help preserve the win.
They say you’re only as good as your bench, and if the reserves keep playing like this, the Cardinals will be tough to beat.

ESPN’s Trent Dilfer breaks down the Cardinals’ win over the Giants

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