Josh Sweat isn’t doing the Cardinals defense many favors 3 games in

TEMPE — Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green told it like it was in his famous rant about the Chicago Bears in 2006.

“They are who we thought they were! And we let them off the hook!”

Three weeks into the Cardinals’ season, there’s a similar sentiment surrounding an Arizona defense that saw only really one big offseason upgrade in safety Andrew Wingard.

As far as defensive coordinator Nick Rallis being let off the proverbial hook? I’m not so sure about that one.

After shocking just about everyone in Week 1 — which might say more about the Los Angeles Chargers’ issues than anything else — the unit has fallen off mightily against divisional foes.

In the past two games, Arizona’s defense has allowed 67 points. It was dismantled by Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock in Week 2 before San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy went to town with little resistance on Sunday.

And “little resistance” might be putting it lightly.

With the help of Josh Sweat, the Cardinals defense is living up to expectations three weeks in. And no, that is not a good thing.

What’s holding the Cardinals defense back?

Arizona’s biggest pressure point is just that: Pressure!

Entering play Monday, the Cardinals are tied with the Miami Dolphins (you read that right) for the fewest pressures in the league among teams who have played three games with 21. Arizona’s four sacks rank among the bottom five in the league.

Sunday’s loss to the 49ers only magnified the Cardinals’ inability to impact the quarterback, with Arizona defenders combining for just four pressures in the sack-less effort.

To make matters worse, Arizona couldn’t affect Purdy despite the 49ers QB posting a 3.26-second average time to throw on 27 dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats.

The Cardinals defense logged just four pressures against the 49ers despite Brock Purdy posting a 3.26-second average time to throw on 27 dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. pic.twitter.com/ZbrbgmB5JQ

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 28, 2026

Having ample time to throw and not worrying about taking a hit typically leads to good things for signal callers.

It also helps opposing offenses that Sweat is currently a shell of himself after getting little work in with the team this offseason.

Coming off a career year, Sweat has just three quarterback pressures to his name through three weeks. Out of his 55 pass rushes (the second-most on the team behind Walter Nolen), he has zero sacks.

The biggest impact he had on Sunday was roughing the passer on third down midway through the fourth quarter. That gave the 49ers a new set of downs, which they used to find the end zone a couple of plays later.

For as big of a cap hit as Sweat is — $16.4 million — he’s simply not living up to it despite Rallis saying Sweat has played really good ball for the franchise in 2026.

Sweat was brought in to do one thing: Impact the quarterback. He’s not doing that despite not seeing as much attention as he has in recent seasons.

Pass rush win rate and double team rate of edge defenders so far in 2026 (per PFF) pic.twitter.com/6PeM1528PF

— Shaun Newkirk (@Shauncore) September 28, 2026

His start to the season seriously makes you think if an offseason trade was the best move for all parties involved. If anyone is still calling on Sweat at this point, it’s likely far less than previous offers.

Rallis spoke last week about needing more third downs so Sweat and others can pin their ears back.

And while the 49ers only attempted eight third downs all game, there were plenty of advantageous opportunities to do just that. Half of San Francisco’s third-down looks were 10 yards or more.

Two of them resulted in a touchdown (the hook and ladder) or first down. None of them resulted in a sack, with Baron Browning logging the only pressure during that span.

It’s also not just on the players, either.

While they need to get home, Rallis could also help the pressure deficiency by sending more blitzes. There’s always a give-and-take with doing that — there’s one less defender in coverage — but at this rate, some manufactured chaos is needed.

Arizona currently has the seventh-lowest blitz rate in the league at 22.5%, according to NFL Pro. The Cardinals were right around the middle of the pack the past two seasons at 27.5% and 24.8%, respectively, and saw the third-lowest rate in 2023 at 19.7%.

Is that more to do with personnel or Rallis’ mindset? Either way, Arizona must find pressure from somewhere if it hopes to turn things around defensively.

The season isn’t lost yet, but not having a semblance of a consistent pass rush is a good way to speed up that process and crank up the heat even more on Rallis’ seat.

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