Mark J. Rebilas- USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Cardinals‘ defense has elite potential entering the 2013 season. Last year, the Cardinals’ defense played really well to start off the year as they allowed 13.8 points per game in their first six games of the season. The Cardinals putrid offense, however, would lead to wear and tear on the defense as the unit would allow a whopping 30.7 points in their final four games of the regular season.
I think a solid quarterback like Carson Palmer who they added in the offseason will give a spark to the offense and provide a rested defense by keeping the chains moving more frequently. The Cardinals’ defense was on the field on average 31:19 minutes per-game last year which was ninth-worst in the NFL.
With play-makers in the secondary like Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider this defense among the league leaders in defensive touchdowns. I think this unit is a top 10 defense in fantasy, and they are looking to have a smart defense as well.
“That’s the emphasis you have any time you go into a preseason or regular season game, not to let the other team score,” Cardinals Defensive Lineman Darnell Dockett noted to Arizonasports.com. “But our biggest thing right now is taking care of each other and making sure we’re doing the small things right. We’re not going into a game looking for a shutout, we’re looking for accountability.”
The one downside, in my opinion, to this defense is the question marks surrounding their run stuffing ability. In 2012, the Cardinals’ defense allowed 137 yards rushing on average. If they can correct that some might have themselves a gem in their Fantasy Football draft.
Wola Odeniran is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter at WolaOdeniran52, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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