The Arizona Cardinals are sitting at a brutal 1-4 record after getting slapped around by the Detroit Lions, but don’t expect any seismic shifts in their playcalling anytime soon. Head coach Mike LaFleur just shot down any talk of changes, flat out telling the media “No” when asked about shaking things up. This is a team that was supposed to turn things around, and all their fans are doing now is calling for major alterations to the roster, staff, or approach. The only real change they’ve made was trading WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston, which, let’s be real, wasn’t what anyone had in mind.
Defense Is a Sieve, And The DC Is Still In
Man, this defense is rough. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis has now overseen his fourth consecutive game where the team allowed 30-plus points, a sad, unfortunate regularity since 2025. Against the Lions, led by former Cardinals OC Drew Petzing, they coughed up 412 yards of offense and a whopping 45 points. Forty-five points! No wonder they’re dead last in points allowed across the entire NFL with 162, a full 11 points worse than the next team. They’re also ranked 28th in total yards allowed at 1,817. You’d think numbers like that would force a hard look at who’s calling the shots, but LaFleur isn’t budging on Rallis’s role.
LaFleur’s Offense: Glimpses of Hope, Then Crickets
It’s not just the defense, either. LaFleur, who calls the offensive plays himself, hasn’t exactly been lighting it up. We’ve all seen it: a half-opening drive looks promising and effective, and then, boom, multiple three-and-outs right after. Talk about consistency issues! The Cardinals’ offense is ranked 30th in the NFL in yards per play (a dismal 4.5), 23rd in total yards (1,506), and 22nd in total points (108). You’ve got to wonder how long that kind of on-field product can keep going with the guy at the top saying everything is fine with the playcalling.
LaFleur kept it pretty brief when asked about potential shifts in playcalling, saying his job is to “see the issues and handle the issues and have the tough conversations.” He believes that making changes now wouldn’t give them “the best chance to win this week.” Instead, he’s looking to “re-evaluate what we’ve done” and told the defense where internal changes will be made, keeping that in-house. So, despite veteran assistant Teryl Austin having a successful resume as a defensive coordinator, he won’t be stepping in for Rallis this week. It sounds like they’re sticking to their guns, believing they “have the right guys on defense to play better.” The question is, how many more 30-plus point performances will it take before “better” actually shows up on the field?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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