Cardinals’ mini bye leads to ‘very correctable’ discovery in the run game

TEMPE — Coming off two walk-off losses to divisional foes and falling to 2-2, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon headed into the long weekend knowing his team needed to “change and adapt” if they hoped to team things around.

The head coach’s confidence in the offense remained high heading into the extended weekend, but some reevaluating was needed across all three phases.

The most important was a once-dominant run game that has shown flashes but ultimately hasn’t lived up to expectations four weeks in.

Entering play Monday night, the Cardinals sit 22nd in rushing at 105.8 yards per game after finishing last year seventh at 144.2.

The lack of longer runs is noticeable, with the Cardinals yet to reach double digits in that category with just nine runs of at least 10 yards. That’s tied for 24th in the league with the Houston Texans.

Rushing scores? Just one (tied for 28th).

It’s a small sample size, but the efficiency just hasn’t been there on a consistent basis a quarter(ish) of the way through 2025. And with James Conner out for the year with a foot injury, “upticking everything” in the run game is even more imperative.

And it starts up front.

“We have to make sure that we’re all on the same page when we’re making calls at the line of scrimmage,” Gannon said Monday. “That’s been good to us in the past, but it’s not where it needs to be right now. But very correctable.

“We got to make sure that we don’t have unblocked players that we think we have accounted for that are not accounted for.”

Getting the offensive line and those blocking around it on the same page that much more should translate in more of those efficient runs Gannon and the offense are looking for. Land those combo blocks, “get a hat on a hat” and watch the success rate increase.

New Cardinals offensive line coach Justin Frye getting some games under his belt in this system should help, too.

Not every run has to go the distance. Base knocks to stay ahead of the sticks are just as important in keeping the offense on schedule and opening up the pass game.

"We're not pleased where we are at right now with the whole team."

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon goes into detail on what adjustments the team needs to make on @BurnsAndGambo. pic.twitter.com/MD7H2Vu5pY

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 30, 2025

And the Cardinals have just the opponent to enact those corrections on in the Tennessee Titans this week.

Heading into Week 5, the Titans have allowed the most rushing touchdowns in the league with seven and have given up the fifth most rushing yards per game at 141.5.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have a game wrecker in the middle of the formation in Jeffery Simmons.

The defensive lineman is up to two sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble in four games played.

Where the Cardinals defense can take that next step

While Gannon shed some light on his fact-finding mission during the mini bye, Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell went even further in where the defense could improve.

Although tackling, turnovers and trusting one another quickly came to mind, it was Arizona’s latest showing against Seattle’s run game that left Campbell really wanting more out of a unit he believes can be top in the league.

After being among the top five in run defense heading into Thursday night’s loss, the Cardinals watched Kenneth Walker and the rest of Seattle’s rushing attack total 155 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries. Four Seahawks had rushes of at least 10 yards.

“The run game matters. … We have to be better and I know we will be,” Campbell said. “We have to just focus on every play is crucial. Do a good job for four plays, that fifth play is just as important as the first one. You can’t relax.”

As they say, the game of football is won in the trenches.

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