How Cardinals fine-tuned weaknesses to win three straight

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The week after the Arizona Cardinals got routed by the Green Bay Packers, defensive lineman L.J. Collier sat down for a meeting with head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Their message was poignant.

If Collier keeps living in the past, they told him, he’ll never get anywhere. But, if he looks too far ahead, he won’t go anywhere, either. Collier needed to be present, the two coaches said.

“It was time to tighten up,” Collier said. “Everybody had a sick feeling in their mouth and we knew we better than that.”

The message stuck, not just with Collier but with the entire team.

Three weeks later, Arizona (5-4) is riding a three-game winning streak and has won four of its last five after beating the Chicago Bears 29-9 on Sunday at State Farm Stadium. The win put the Cardinals in first place in the ultra-competitive, ultra-balanced NFC West. It’s the first time they’ve been in sole possession of first place in November or later since 2021, the last season Arizona went to the playoffs and had a three-game winning streak.

Linebacker Kyzir White said this edition of the Cardinals is “locked in right now.” They grew tired of coming in on Monday mornings and second guessing what went wrong the day before.

“We just wanted to get back to the drawing board, see what we doing wrong and,” White said, “really just lock in.”

After starting the season 1-3, the Cardinals have found a consistency that evaded them early on, left guard Evan Brown said.

“Kind of figuring out things we’re good at, things we’re not,” he said. “How to clean up the bad, keep building on the good. I think we’ve done a good job of that in these games. I think we’re gelling better as a team kind of across the board and just playing good complementary football from all three phases.”

Sunday’s game was emblematic of complementary football.

Arizona ran for 213 yards, including 107 from James Conner, who hit triple digits in three quarters. Then there was Emari Demercado’s 53-yard run at the end of the first half that was the longest rushing touchdown in the final 20 seconds of a half since 1972, according to Elias.

With the Cardinals’ passing game unable to find a rhythm — quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 154 yards — offensive coordinator Drew Petzing leaned into what was working. And on defense, Arizona was consistently getting to Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, sacking him six times.

While Gannon said he felt Murray is “playing really good football right now for us,” Murray didn’t think he played up to his standard on Sunday.

But getting a win is why there’s a belief in the Cardinals’ locker room that didn’t exist a few weeks ago.

“That is some characteristics that you see from a winning team, to be able to win in different ways,” right tackle Kelvin Beachum said. “And I think if you look at each win that we’ve had this year has been won a different way. There is no, ‘Hey, you know you’re gonna win it this way, you know you’re gonna win it this way. You are gonna run the ball.’

“No, every single game that we’ve won, I think, this year has been won a different way. And I think in the National Football League, winning is hard. And then you add to the fact that we’ve won in a multitude of different ways, that is great characteristics of the team.”

Despite their recent run, the Cardinals are trying to adhere to Gannon’s and Rallis’ advice to Collier: Stay in the present.

Gannon called Monday, the first day of New York Jets’ week, the “most important day we’ve had all year.”

“That’s the way they’ll approach it,” Gannon said. “But, I think with what I just said, is that’s what’s allowing us to win games. We take one day at a time, every second counts, maximize the day, keep blinders on and go about your business.”

While Arizona is trying to keep their eyes ahead, they understand what’s brewing this season. They were somewhat tempered, but the Cardinals are starting to believe they’re for real.

“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Brown said with a smirk.

White smiled at the thought.

“I think so,” he said. “We gotta keep showing it, though.”

Collier didn’t leave any doubt.

“We are for real,” he said. “Stay tuned.”