Nick Rallis is facing the kind of defensive numbers that leave very little room for spin, and ahead of Week 6 he didn’t try to dress them up.
With the Cardinals sitting at 1-4 and headed into Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, the defensive coordinator acknowledged that what he and the staff have asked the unit to do simply isn’t translating on game day. Arizona brought him back for continuity on that side of the ball, but through five games of the 2026 season, that choice has become hard to defend.
“Our coaches are phenomenal, and I think the players pour in every week and practice really well, but there are things I got to look at and say ‘how do I get them to find success on Sunday?'” he said ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams, per reporter Bo Brack.
“It ain’t working right now.”
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) October 15, 2026
Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Rallis says he has to find a changeup that helps the defense translate good practices into success on Sundays. pic.twitter.com/0kYlTN67pz
“Even if it makes sense to me, it ain't working right now. So what it is that change-up going to be that maybe triggers something a little bit different and allows them to just go out and play the opponent?”
That admission lands against a brutal statistical backdrop. Arizona is allowing an NFL-worst 32.4 points per week and ranks 26th in total defense at 363.4 yards allowed per game.
The problems haven’t been isolated, either. The Cardinals have already given up 18 completions of at least 20 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, per NFL.com.
Those numbers tell the story of a defense that keeps leaking explosive plays and hasn’t found a reliable answer. Rallis said the staff may need to find a different trigger, but the reality is that this group has yet to show it can consistently stop the bleeding.
That leaves the burden squarely on the defensive coordinator to get this unit back into respectable shape, and the timing couldn’t be tougher with an angry Rams team coming to town. For Arizona, the hope now is less about perfection and more about seeing some kind of progress before the season slips further away.
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