The Bye Week Plan: Cardinals Strategy for a Successful…

The Arizona Cardinals are fresh off their fourth straight win, after one of their most complete games of the season saw them dominate Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets to the tune of a 31-6 home victory.

Now, leading the NFC West with a 6-4 record, the Cardinals look like the team that their potential foreshadowed, with the easier portion of their schedule lying ahead. But they’ll have to wait a week before taking on the Seattle Seahawks in another critical divisional matchup.

The strange thing is, there’s not much to fix for the Cardinals. They seem to be simply hitting their stride and firing on all cylinders, even defensively. A week 11 bye, for once, is met with disappointment, rather than relief from fans.

Still, Arizona has some work to do if they want to maintain their lead in the division. A week off is no place for complacency.

Here are the Cardinals’ top priorities for the off-week.

Maintain Intensity

Head coach Jonathan Gannon has expressed his lack of belief in the concept of momentum. While that may or may not be a stance worth defending, the truth is that the Cardinals have displayed incredible focus and execution in the past four wins, especially against Chicago and New York.

As intangible as it is, Arizona has to maintain that intensity, that focus, and that drive to execute at a high, mistake-free level. In the past four weeks, they’ve committed only four defensive penalties for 38 yards, while not allowing a touchdown in three straight home games.

Clearly, discipline, along with the development of young, raw defensive players has been crucial in maximizing a still-thin defensive unit. That needs to continue if the Cardinals want to avoid giving away games to their weaker opponents in the coming weeks.

A bye week can serve as a respite from the grind of an NFL season, and the players have absolutely earned the respite with their stellar recent play, but a break in the middle of a hot streak can often lead to laziness and rusty execution come week 12.

With everything learned about Gannon and his coordinators, it doesn’t seem particularly likely that the Cardinals will fall victim to complacency, but the owness will be on them and the veteran leaders of this Arizona team to make sure the focus level is as high as it has been, and the young players are as hungry and disciplined as they’ve become.

Reinforcements (Injuries)

The Cardinals have been beset by injuries so far in 2024. That’s simply a part of the game. While players like Will Hernandez, Dennis Gardeck, Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones might be all out for the season, the week 11 bye does provide an extra cushion for a trio of key contributors to get back into playing mode, with a chance to make their return against Seattle.

Most notably, rookie DL Darius Robinson, whose practice window is open, could finally see his season debut after the bye. Robinson suffered a calf injury and was placed on IR before the season, but is expected to play at some point this season.

The rookie has practiced only once since his window was opened, but with the extra week, could see a ramp-up to some snaps in the game against the Seahawks.

Couple the potential debut of a prominent first-round pick with impact that recent acquisition Baron Browning has already seemed to provide, and Arizona’s pass rush might look much-improved after the bye, coming off an already-impressive nine sacks in their last three games.

RT Jonah Williams is another return candidate. Now, Kelvin Beachum has filled in admirably, posting a 73.0 pass blocking grade in his 520 snaps, but a return to (close to) full strength for the Cardinals’ offensive line can only be a positive down the stretch.

Both Williams and Robinson’s statuses are up in the air for week 12, but Arizona Sports 98.7’s John Gambadoro did say that it was “more likely” to see them both return against the Seahawks on November 24.

Safety Jalen Thompson, who was a game-time scratch against the Jets with an ankle injury, should also be back to playing form.

Rookie Dadrion Taylor-Demerson looked excellent in relief of Thompson, but the return of a high-level veteran safety will be a boost to Arizona’s secondary regardless, and the Cardinals will have the luxury of Taylor-Demerson’s solid play to help ease Thompson back in without risking re-injury.

Granted, it’s not a guarantee to see all three players suit up in Seattle. But the extra week provides some breathing room, and the extra practice time could allow Arizona to bolster some of its thinner units, despite seeing mostly solid performance from their interim solutions.

The Cardinals may be hot, and facing an easier slate of games after the break, but the games will only become more crucial to their NFC West race. Beating a third straight divisional opponent (in a tough road environment no less) is of the utmost importance as they look to cushion their division lead.

But they’ll have to stay the course during the bye week, with reinforcements on the horizon.