Dealing Cards: All eyes on the defense following bye week

TEMPE, Ariz. – While Carson Palmer’s injury and Drew Stanton’s elevation to starting quarterback grabbed the headlines in London, the Arizona Cardinals’ defense made news as well. And for all the wrong reasons, unfortunately.

The 33 points allowed to the Los Angeles Rams marked the third time in as many weeks that an opposing offense had scored 30-plus points on the Cardinals, the worst stretch of defense — in terms of points allowed — under head coach Bruce Arians.

“We didn’t come out to play,” safety Antoine Bethea said. “Travel all the way over there and then to go out there and stink it up like that, that’s not what we want to be viewed as.”

But, that’s exactly what the numbers say about the Cardinals.

Among the 32 NFL teams, the Cardinals’ defense ranks 24th in yards (352.7), 31st in points (27.3) and 31st in third-down defense (47.7 percent).

“It’s just getting off the field on third down,” Arians said Tuesday. “We’re playing well. We missed some tackles, point-blank tackles, but the biggest thing is just getting off on third down.”

Over the last three games, opponents of the Cardinals have converted on third down nearly 62 percent of the time. The Rams made good on third down 13 times in 19 opportunities.

“Just play better,” Bethea said, stating the obvious. “Speaking on the back end, we need to make more plays, limit the big plays and just overall, just play better, play off one another and play with some more energy.”

Linebacker Karlos Dansby called it playing with passion.

Though not all of the Cardinals’ problems fall at the feet of the defense, that is the side of the football that many are looking at to take the lead in turning around, hopefully, the 2017 season, especially given Palmer’s extended absence.

“It’s a team game. It’s the ultimate team game, matter of fact. It takes everybody,” Dansby said. “All the phases are going to feel the effects of losing Palmer, so we all got to step it up.”

No fumble recoveries

The Cardinals would certainly benefit if the defense was to force more turnovers.

In seven games, the Cardinals have seven takeaways, all interceptions. And while they’ve caused fumbles, they’ve yet to recover any. In fact, the Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals are the only two teams without a fumble recovery heading into Week 9.

“Fumble recoveries are kind of like luck, to be honest. Yeah, forcing a fumble, that’s not luck, that’s skill. But, when the ball is on the ground, it’s an oblong shape,” dollar linebacker Deone Bucannon said, referring to the football.

“Most of the time, it’s a scrum, in the pile, you’re fighting for the ball. A lot of the time, the first person that touches the ball, he’s not the one that ends up with it. There’s a lot of stuff that you don’t see when it’s seven, eight guys that over 200, 300 pounds that are all fighting for one ball. You’re just hoping that you can end up with it at the end of the day or the ref calls it your way.”

C.J. Beathard or Jimmy Garoppolo

Earlier this season, when the Cardinals hosted San Francisco on Oct. 1, it was Brian Hoyer who was under center for the 49ers. Hoyer has since been released, a move spurred by the Monday’s acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo from New England.

San Francisco has started rookie C.J. Beathard each of the past two weeks and will likely do so again this week, though, there’s been no definitive announcement from the Bay Area.

“You get ready for the offense that’s on film,” Arians said. “You go back and look at Jimmy when he played against us, but whether they him or Beathard, it doesn’t really matter. Just have to get ready for their offense and stopping the run first of all, and then those explosive wide receivers.”

Bethea, who played the past three seasons in San Francisco before signing with the Cardinals, is expecting to see Garoppolo.

“At this point, they’re 0-8. I don’t think they have too much to lose, so I’m pretty sure they’ll work him in this week and we’ll potentially probably see him,” he said.

All healthy, except one

Having been off for five days, the Cardinals returned to work on Tuesday with a 90-minute practice, one in which Arians described as excellent.

It was a bonus day, so no injury report. The first official one of the week will come Wednesday.

“Everybody was out there except Andre Ellington (who missed the Rams game with a quadriceps injury),” Arians said. “A really good start. Had a great reloading, no relaxing. It was an excellent practice. Looking forward to winning one.”

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