The Arizona Cardinals’ run defense has become an easy target, but the numbers look a lot different once you stop staring at the league rankings and start looking at the games themselves.
After seven weeks, Arizona sits 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 126.3 and 25th in yards per rush at 4.7. Those figures are real. The problem is the way they get flattened into a simple, and in this case misleading, story.
A closer look shows that not all rushing yards are created equal. The Cardinals’ opponents have gotten plenty of production from quarterbacks who can take off and hurt you, which changes the picture.
Justin Herbert, Brock Purdy and Bo Nix have combined for 136 yards on 14 runs against Arizona. That matters, because when people talk about run defense, they often act like every yard comes from a tailback pounding between the tackles.
The Broncos game is a good example of how the narrative can get twisted. Denver finished with 159 rushing yards, and that was enough for some to say the Broncos had run the ball much better than they had in previous weeks.
But 73 of those yards came from Bo Nix, including a 62-yard touchdown run. Strip that out, and Denver’s running backs totaled 83 yards.
That doesn’t mean quarterback runs should be ignored. They count, and defenses have to account for them. But if the conversation is about basic run defense, the backs are the cleaner measure.
On that front, Arizona looks sturdier than the perception around it. Opposing running backs have gained 725 yards on 169 carries this season, which comes out to 103.6 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry.
There’s also context inside those totals that matters. Of the 884 yards allowed to running backs, 319 came in games against Seattle and Detroit. Those were lopsided results - a 31-7 Seahawks win and a 45-21 Lions win - and both teams leaned on the run after building second-half leads.
Seattle’s backs had 43 yards at halftime and 114 in the second half. Detroit’s backs had 66 yards in the first half and 96 after the break.
Jahmyr Gibbs accounted for most of Detroit’s damage, finishing with 151 rushing yards. He’s fourth in the NFL with 620 yards, and the Lions have already had their bye, so they’ve played only six games.
The point here isn’t that the Cardinals are suddenly a shutdown unit. They’re not. But the idea that they’re simply bad against the run doesn’t hold up when you dig into who’s doing the damage and when it’s happening.
Here’s how Arizona’s opponents’ running backs have fared game by game:
L.A. Chargers: Omarion Hampton (12-43/3.6), Keaton Mitchell (4-9/2.3). Total: 16-52/3.3
Seattle: Emanuel Wilson (21-92/4.4), Jadarian Price (13-52/4.0), George Holani (4-13/3.3). Total: 38-157/4.1
San Francisco: Christian McCaffrey (15-7/5.0), Kaelon Black (4-17/4.3). Total: 19-92/4.8
N.Y. Giants: Cam Skattebo (18-58/3.2), Najee Harris (9-30/3.3), Tyrone Tracy (1-minus 1/-1.0. Total: 28-87/3.1
Detroit: Jahmyr Gibbs (25-151/6.0), Sione Vaki (6-11/1.8). Total: 31-162/5.2
L.A. Rams: Kyren Williams (10-50/5.0), Blake Corum (9-42/4.7). Total: 19-92/4.8
Denver: Jonah Coleman (9-54/6.0), JK Dobbins (6-23/3.8), RJ Harvey (3-6/2.0). Total: 18-83/4.6
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