The Detroit Lions blasted the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend, 45-21. Any time the opposition posts up close to 50 points on your club, it is a huge issue.
Except for the 26-14 victory over the hapless Los Angeles Chargers on opening weekend, the Cardinals’ defense has surrendered 31, 36, 36, and now 45 points.
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Maybe it’s just time to let DC Nick Rallis go.
The Cardinals have allowed a league-high 162 points in just five games. Every American Football team at every level wants to average scoring 32.4 points a game. That is a dream situation. For Arizona, that dream is currently a nightmare.
The Cardinals’ 1-4-0 record is indicative of their inability to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone.
Against the pass, Arizona’s defense has allowed the most passing touchdowns (14), tied for third with the fewest interceptions (3), ranked #32 in passing yards gained per attempt (9.1), second-worst defensive ranking (117.2), has allowed the third-greatest first-down conversion ratio (41.7%), given up the fourth most plays of 20+ yards (18), given up the fourth most plays of 40+ yards (3), and is ranked #14 in the most sacks (11).
Versus the run, the Cardinals are ranked #9 in total rushing yards (633), #9 in rushing attempts (144), tied for #4 in most rushing touchdowns allowed (6), tied for #10 in most yards per carry average (4.4), and allowed the tenth most first downs via the run (35).
According to FOX Sports, Arizona’s defense is ranked #26 overall. That is broken down into a #25 ranking for the passing defense and a #23 ranking for the run defense.
What are the issues?
Against the Lions, the Cardinals’ defense forced three straight three-and-outs to begin the game. Then, it was a jailbreak, with Detroit scoring six touchdowns and a field goal. They scored 24 points in the second quarter and 14 in Quarter 3. Huge passing gains were rampant. And the pass rush? Should we say the lack of a pass rush? Only DT Roy Lopez was putting some pressure into Detroit’s backfield and had a good game against the run.
In the postgame press conference, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur didn’t act disappointed or sad; instead, he was pissed. Regarding the defensive effort, he stated:
“Obviously, not good enough. I know we’re better than that, but that doesn’t mean s*** right now.”
Before being hired as the head coach of the Cardinals, LaFleur and Rallis had no connection with past employment. While LaFleur has been situated along the West Coast, Rallis was mainly with the Philadelphia Eagles, coaching with former Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon. LaFleur simply kept him as his DC.
But last year, the Cardinals defense wasn’t spectacular either. They finished the year ranked #26 overall, allowing an average of 363.4 yards a game. Both the run defense and pass coverage were in the bottom third in the league.
When Gannon hired Rallis, he was considered one of the brighter minds in the game with plenty of youth behind him. In 2025, The Athletic featured him in its “NFL 50 under 40” list of ascending coaches and front office personnel.
Right now, Arizona’s defense under Rallis is struggling to play at a level that gives the team a chance to win. What do four consecutive losses giving up 30+ points tell any Cardinals fan? No matter what this offense accomplishes, it is erased by the defense not being able to close out games late.
And this is not simply a one-off. Last year, the Cardinals had a late lead and lost in seven contests. Remember when the offense was down 14 points to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 only to come back and tie the game? Seattle got the ball back with just 28 ticks on the clock, then went bip-bip-bip before kicking the winning field goal. All the defense had to do was contain, then take the game into overtime.
Look at this year’s Seahawks game. Everyone in the league knows what to expect from Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He is a weapon, yet did Rallis give Smith-Njigba double coverage and force their offense to throw to other pass catchers? Hell no. What occurred instead was that the talented receiver had 155 yards and scored three touchdowns. He became the runner-up for “NFC Offensive Player of the Week.”
Against the Lions, where was the run defense? RB Jahmyr Gibbs ran willy-nilly on his way to 151 yards on just 25 carries with two touchdowns, then rarely got any coverage from a linebacker when he went out for a short pass. He had five receptions for 56 yards.
The Cardinals’ continued defensive struggles don’t seem to have an end game. Each week, it is going to be more of the same. Maybe a change at the top needs to be made and is in the franchise’s best interest to move on from Rallis.
Most NFL coaches and GMs will not reveal anything pertinent to almost every situation. In the presser, LaFleur was asked if any coaching changes are on the horizon after getting blasted for 45 points.
The question specifically was, “Do you need to make any changes to the defense coaching?”
LaFleur’s response:
“There’s a lot to fix right now, and I respect the question. I understand that, and I get it comes with the territory right now. My focus is on me fixing everything. None of it’s good enough. And again, anytime there’s a blowout like this, it starts with coaching. It’s not the players. It starts with us.”
Like always, just Hollywood talk without anything that has legs. And no head coach is going to come right out and say that one of his coaches is probably going to kick rocks. There is respect in this league, and it is a rarity to throw others under the bus. Plus, it is a decision that needs to be thought out first and discussed within the organization and not be decided on the spur of the moment at the podium after a bad loss.
And LaFleur is a guy who is going to point the finger at himself all day long.
During last week’s press conference, Rallis was asked about the weekly 30+ points per game. He said:
“Yeah, that sucks. Just focus on the process.”
Come again? That’s it? No resolutions to the issue? Now, we get that the offense has its own set of problems and such; the defense is on the field more than ideal. Players get winded, especially in the final quarter. But Rallis didn’t offer any solutions whatsoever.
And it isn’t going to get any easier. A glance at the schedule reveals upcoming games against the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, and then the Kansas City Chiefs. Raise your hand if you believe things will be different against these offenses.
In LaFleur’s first stint as an NFL head coach, he surrounded himself with veteran coaches on both sides of the ball. Rallis was already in Arizona, and it was an easy fix. But there is very little pass rush; the defensive backfield suffers from having to cover guys for way too long, minimal coverage from the linebackers on tight ends and running backs flaring out of the backfield, and the run defense is allowing 126.6 yards per game. Last season, they gave up 28.7 points on average per game, which ranked #29 in the league.
DT Walter Nolen was brought in to solve the run defense and has been hurt repeatedly. Even though he is healthy this year, he has been a non-factor. DE Josh Sweat was the big splash signing and netted 12.0 sacks last year, yet is the invisible man with the pass rush this season. DE Darius Robinson is taking up space and getting a paycheck, and LB Zaven Collins is getting some pressure, but he isn’t an every-down pass rusher.
Defensive rankings under Rallis:
2023
Overall: #25
Passing: #13
Rushing: #32
2024
Overall: #21
Passing: #14
Rushing: #20
2025
Overall: #19
Passing: #7
Rushing: #31
2026
Overall: #26
Passing: #25
Rushing: #23
We get it that the Cardinals’ best pass defender, CB Will Johnson, is on IR and gone for the year. That is a huge loss. But life goes on. Games come up on the schedule and have to be played. Adjustments must be made, or free agent signings can happen.
And what is the biggest head-scratcher is how GM Monti Ossenfort made minimal changes to the defensive roster in the offseason.
He should have re-signed DT Calais Campbell and his 6.5 sacks plus S Jalen Thompson, who was highly productive. Then, he should have taken one of the elite pass rushers with the third overall pick, and in Round 2 nabbed one of college football’s best tacklers, LB Jacob Rodriguez out of Texas Tech, who currently leads the league in total tackles. Why was LB Akeem Davis-Gaither let go? He is seventh in the NFL in tackles so far with the Indianapolis Colts.
Arizona has senior defensive coach Teryl Austin waiting in the wings, who offers years of experience coordinating a defense and has been successful as a DC on many clubs.
For each loss that places the Cardinals further down the division, it will only put more pressure on LaFleur to make a change.
Is it time for a bigger picture conversation?
