Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis has shown signs of excellence in 2024 and with the leadership of safety Budda Baker, his unit again played well in the 13-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cardinals stopped the Rams on nine of their 15 third-down attempts and held their opponent to just 12 total first downs on the evening. Although Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford wasn’t sacked but he was certainly contained by Rallis, producing only 189 passing yards and no touchdown passes on the night.
Rallis forced the Rams to punt six times, allowing 74 total plays for his offensive unit to respond and take the lead. Unfortunately, Murray and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing could not sequence in the right play calls to seal the win.
The Cardinals defense has been solid led by safety Budda Baker and linebacker Kyzir White who led the team with eight tackles in the loss. Rallis and head coach Jonathan Gannon definitely have a unit to build on in their defensive unit and are likely to acquire a top defensive back in the upcoming draft to add force to their pass defense.
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