Cardinals-Rams Week 17 observations: AZ won’t likely last long in postseason
The Arizona Cardinals essentially have a playoff game this weekend in Week 17. If they win, they move on to the actual postseason. If they lose, the season is over.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar wrote his observations about each of the Week 17 matchups around the league and he noted Arizona’s stubbornness, especially on offense. Kliff Kingsbury just does what he does.
I (Doug) made the observation this week that I don’t think there’s a team that just does what they do without schematic help more often than the Cardinals. On offense, and we’ve talked about this, they put DeAndre Hopkins at that backside iso, and they don’t even motion him for information or impact. On defense, it’s a bunch of speed linebackers rushing, and the 49ers really exploited that. 30 runs for 227 yards (7.6 yards per carry, and the longest run was 34 yards, so it wasn’t just a couple of 80-yarders and a bunch of stuffs). If Arizona beats L.A. and gets into the postseason, they might be out before they even start with that crap. The usual Shanahan staples — wham and delay.
It is interesting how the Cardinals do things and how, even with the criticism, still have managed to be the No. 2 offense in the league.
San Francisco’s rushing attack did expose the Cardinals in Week 16. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said it came down to two things: the defensive linemen getting pushed back and then poor tackling.
This Cardinals team has proven to be able to beat anyone and lose to anyone. They are a truly intriguing team to watch in Week 17 and in the postseason.
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