Week 3 scouting report: How the Cardinals are turning it around

Looking at the Detroit Lions Week 3 opponent, and how the Arizona Cardinals have built a team that could shock some folk in 2024.

Coming off a sloppy loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Detroit Lions will travel on the road for the first time this season to take on the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are not a team to overlook, despite their record in 2023, as they are coming into this game 1-1 and off a big win over the Los Angeles Rams.

The Cardinals may have found their groove. Now, with quarterback Kyler Murray back and healthy, this team has a chance to play spoiler and start gaining more respect from around the league. Let’s look deeper at the Cardinals in our Week 3 scouting report for the 2024 season.

Arizona Cardinals

Last Season

• 4-13 record (4th in NFC West)
• 24th in points scored, 31st in points allowed
• Overall DVOA: 29th (21st on offense, 32nd on defense)

Last year, the Cardinals had a forgettable season. The franchise knew it would be rough for the first half at least, as Murray was recovering from an ACL tear that knocked him out for the first nine weeks of the season. In those weeks, the Cardinals relied on quarterbacks Clayton Tune and Joshua Dobbs to lead the team, and they couldn’t do much in their time, going a combined 1-8.

Once Murray returned, he did all he could, but he finished 3-5 on the season, and the Cardinals’ slim hope of a rebound vanished. Murray looked fine in his eight games, throwing for 1,799 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

Speaking of running, the ground game was once again led by running back James Conner, who had 1,040 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also got involved in the passing game, getting 27 catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Tight end Trey McBride led the team in yards and catches with 81 catches for 825 yards and three touchdowns. The wide receiving core of Marquise Brown, Michael Wilson, and Rondale Moore combined for 129 catches for 1,491 yards and eight touchdowns.

The defense saw a few people contribute in certain areas. The leader in the secondary was safety Budda Baker, who had 87 tackles but missed five games due to a hamstring injury. His fellow safety Jalen Thompson led the team in interceptions with four, as he was their main contributor in the turnover factory. Linebacker Kyzir White led the team in tackles with 90, and fellow linebacker Dennis Gardeck led the team in sacks with six.

2024 offseason

Key additions: G Evan Brown, WR Zay Jones, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, OT Jonah Williams, DL Bilal Nichols, DL Justin Jones

Key losses: OT D.J. Humphries, C Billy Price, WR Marquise Brown, WR Rondale Moore

Trade additions: QB Desmond Ridder

2024 NFL Draft picks

Round 1: WR Marvin Harrison Jr
Round 1: DE Darius Robinson
Round 2: CB Max Melton
Round 3: RB Trey Benson
Round 3: G Isaiah Adams
Round 3: TE Tip Reiman
Round 3: CB Elijah Jones
Round 4: S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
Round 5: DE Xavier Thomas
Round 5: OL Christian Jones
Round 6: WR Tejhaun Palmer
Round 7: CB Jaden Davis

Talk about a draft overhaul, eh? The Cardinals lost a few pieces on offense in free agency, losing Brown and trading away Moore. At the same time, center Billy Price retired, and the team released tackle D.J. Humphries after tearing his ACL late in 2023, opening the door for someone else to take over. The Cardinals would find his replacement in Jonah Williams, a former starter for the Cincinnati Bengals. With the losses of Brown and Moore, though, the team needed to find Murray some new weapons, and they did so by signing Zay Jones in free agency and drafting the best wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft in Marvin Harrison Jr.

The defense also got some help, adding cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and Max Melton for the secondary. They also beefed up their defensive line by adding Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones and drafting defensive end Darius Robinson. The team had 12 draft picks and used them at various positions to give them depth and help in certain areas they saw fit.

The number of players they lost compared to added seems to suggest that this is a new team that can make you forget about who was on it last season. The Cardinals wanted to move on from the wasted year of 2023 and prepare for a strong resurgence in 2024 while also preparing for the worst, so they traded for quarterback Desmond Ridder as an insurance plan just in case.

2024 season thus far (1-1)

Week 1: Lost to Buffalo Bills 34-28
Week 2: Defeated Los Angeles Rams 41-10

Stats:

• 2nd in points scored, 17th in points allowed
• Overall DVOA: 7th (5th on offense, 15th on defense, 13th on special teams)

The Lions must recognize the Cardinals are a serious threat. Before the season, it was a presumed win for many Lions fans, the media, myself included. After beating the Rams and dismantling them 41-10, the Cardinals certainly have gotten my attention. While it was against an even more banged-up Rams team than the Lions played, the Cardinals still scored more points and allowed fewer than Detroit.

The Cardinals also kept it close with the Bills, only losing by six to start the season. The Cardinals seemed to have improved from last season, and so far, a big reason for that has been having Murray back from his ACL tear. Against the Rams, Murray had a perfect QBR rating of 158.3 as he was 17-for-21 for 266 yards with three touchdowns and five carries for 59 yards.

Harrison’s emergence in the receiving game also helped against the Rams. The Bills contained Harrison in his NFL debut, but against the Rams, he had four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. According to PFF, Harrison also graded out with a 91.2 grade in Week 2, first out of all the wide receivers in the NFL. Harrison is already becoming a problem, which is not what the Lions wanted to see.

After leading the team in sacks last year, Gardeck is on his way to top last season’s performance. He already has three sacks, and while they all came against the banged-up Rams offensive line, it’s still an impressive skill to get three in one game and force a fumble. He will be a player that the Lions offensive line will have to keep their eyes on.

Injury Notes

Key players ruled out: OT Jonah Williams (IR/knee), LB BJ Ojulari (IR/knee), DE Darius Robinson (IR/calf), WR Zay Jones (suspended)
Key players to monitor: QB Kyler Murray (knee)

Unlike the last Lions opponent, the Cardinals aren’t as shaken up. They just recently put Williams on IR, so once again, the Lions will play against a backup offensive tackle. Ojulari will miss the season with a knee injury. Rookie edge rusher Robinson is on IR but is slated to return this season. Jones was suspended in August for the first five games of the year for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.

Murray was on the injury report last week with his knee, but was a full participant all three days and he played in both games just fine, so I think this is just a precautionary move by the team. I expect Murray to play with no limitations.

Biggest strength: Quarterback

The Cardinals have a solid quarterback in Murray, but his most significant strength is his legs and speed. The Lions defense has continued to struggle with scrambling quarterbacks, as we saw Baker Mayfield lead the Bucs in rushing yards last week.

The physical demand on the Lions defensive line and linebackers to keep up with Murray is significant. His speed—faster than Mayfield’s—will keep them on their toes. Murray’s 116 rushing yards this season on just 10 attempts make him a dangerous threat when he decides to run. Detroit’s success in this game hinges on their ability to contain Murray, preventing him from extending plays.

Biggest weakness: Wide receiver depth

When it comes to the passing game for the Cardinals, the team needs Jones back badly as the team needs more depth, which should make it easier for defenses to deal with their passing game. Harrison did have a big game against the Rams, but behind him, there hasn’t been much help in the wide receiver position. Greg Dortch is the next-best player who leads the team in catches with eight but only has 58 yards in two games. Wilson, the third-best wide receiver on the team last year, has only three catches for 36 yards.

The Cardinals could face challenges if teams opt to double-team Harrison and leave the linebackers or safeties to handle tight end Trey McBride. However, the return of Jones after the first five games could change this dynamic. With another wide receiver for teams to worry about, Harrison could potentially produce better numbers and make a more significant contribution to the passing game.

Key matchup: Lions red zone offense vs. Cardinals red zone defense

The biggest issue with the Lions this season is their inability to find the end zone once the team gets 20 yards or fewer away. Thankfully, they are going up against a team that hasn’t been doing too well in red zone defense in the Cardinals. So far, the red zone defense for Arizona is at 55.5 percent, ranking 22nd in the NFL.

The Lions need all the help they can get in this game. Their biggest weakness right now is the red zone offense. Maybe facing a team that has been allowing teams to score in those situations can boost confidence and help them overcome that hurdle.

Vegas line for Sunday: Lions favored by 3