Why the Arizona Cardinals Match Up Well Against Peyton Manning

The Arizona Cardinals defense has engaged in a bit of sorcery over its first three games.

Despite losing the core of their front seven and pretty much all of their pocket push from last season through injuries (Darnell Dockett, John Abraham), a free-agency departure (Karlos Dansby) and general idiocy (Daryl Washington), the Cardinals have stuffed two top-10 scoring offenses.

Now in Week 4, the toughest test yet awaits against Peyton Manning and a dynamic, deep Denver Broncos offense.

The fright factor with Manning for a defense hasn’t gone anywhere, because now he beats you with his mind more so than his arm. He is the great gridiron chessmaster, and with only a few exceptions, the opposing defense usually isn’t Deep Blue.

But there’s reason to believe the Cardinals can be that really smart guy on your high school chess team I’m sure you knew well. Yes, believe, because in many ways Arizona matches up well against Manning, who could reach another historically ridiculous plateau this week.

Before we dive deeper, let’s reinforce what the Cardinals defense has done so far. It has faced the Chargers, Giants and 49ers, three teams with plenty of offensive weapons and creative ways to use them.

Of those opponents, two (Giants and Chargers) are averaging more than 350 yards offensively per game. Those same two offenses are also averaging more than 25 points each week (25.5 for the Giants and 25.8 for the Chargers).

The sample size is small, and your calendar only just flipped to October. But those games still happened, and most of the league is at the quarter mark of the season. So early, here’s how the Cardinals compare to last year.

	Points/game	Yards/game	Yards/play	First downs/game	Touchdowns/game
2014	15	316.3	5.0	19.7	2
2013	20.2	317.4	4.9	19.3	2.2

As you look at the near mirror image, please note once more that this is a defense missing 25.5 of its 47 sacks from last year. Yet 17 is the highest point total Arizona has surrendered so far, which includes allowing only 14 points twice and just three to San Francisco in the second half of Week 3.

How have the Cardinals done it? Mostly with kryptonite for a Manning offense, especially one that now leans heavily on screens and swing passes and the resulting yards after the catch. The Cardinals have swarmed to minimize chunk plays.

They've allowed only 11 plays for gains of 20-plus yards, and Arizona is one of only three teams that haven't given up a completion for more than 35 yards.

Whether it’s hitting Demaryius Thomas on a wide receiver screen or Wes Welker up the middle, the Broncos offense thrives on high-percentage passes, which can then be turned into longer gains. Last year, Thomas led the league with 704 yards after the catch, and tight end Julius Thomas gained nearly half of his 788 receiving yards with long, pleasant runs following a reception.

But just as we saw with the Seahawks in Week 3, the Cardinals have the lateral speed to minimize the impact of those short passes. They already have two starters with double-digit stops according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with defensive end Calais Campbell at 13 and safety Tony Jefferson at 10. Jefferson is also PFF’s top-ranked safety against the run.

On the outside, Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie aren’t allowing much of anything during the still rare times when they give up a reception.

	Yards allowed after catch	% of targets caught	Yards/completion	Longest catch allowed
Peterson	32	53.3	8.9	17 yards
Cromartie	5	40.0	7.5	11 yards

The concern, however, lies deeper up the middle, a dark place where Jefferson and rookie Deone Bucannon have struggled.

	Yards allowed after catch	% of targets caught	Yards/completion	Longest catch allowed
Bucannon	32	100.0	9.6	34
Jefferson	26	66.7	10.8	24

Whenever the guy you’re responsible for is recording a reception every time a football sails his way, that’s a little less than ideal.

Bucannon has gone through some early rookie sputtering, which is allowed and expected. But this week it could also be painful, as he represents the Cardinals’ most significant defensive weakness.

Even if the Cardinals minimize gains after the catch, and even if a run defense allowing only 2.9 yards per carry serves Montee Ball a crunching, there’s still the matter of Julius Thomas. Over its first three games, Arizona has been consistently trampled by large, menacing tight ends, with Jefferson and Bucannon trailing in coverage.

	Receptions	Yards	Longest catch
Antonio Gates (Week 1)	6	81	34
Ladarius Green (Week 1)	2	24	20
Larry Donnell (Week 2)	7	81	23
Derek Carrier (Week 3)	1	23	23

That’s 209 yards allowed to tight ends and 13.1 per catch. Jefferson resembled a sparkling Christmas tree after Week 1 when he was lit up by Gates, allowing 50 yards on three receptions.

Defensively, the Cardinals need to be in the poison-picking business Sunday. There’s every reason to have confidence in Cromartie and Peterson limiting gains on the outside and the front seven doing the same against Ball. Tyrann Mathieu can also shadow Welker effectively in the slot after his 68 tackles, nine passes defensed and two interceptions during an injury-shortened rookie season.

If those boxes get checked, another tight end thumping can be sustained.

A secondary coached by Todd Bowles has faced Manning five times, and over those games, his interceptions (seven) nearly match his touchdowns (eight). Bruce Arians is quite familiar with Manning too after spending three years as his position coach, and Cardinals assistant coach Tom Moore was the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis for over a decade.

There’s enough brain trust on the sideline to scheme against Manning and enough personnel on the field to slow him sufficiently. Execution now stands between the Cardinals and remaining undefeated.