Calais Campbell attributes Cardinals’ success to hockey tactic, ‘the goal is to…’

Calais Campbell talks about the success of the Arizona Cardinals’ defense, praising the depth of the roster

The Arizona Cardinals’ defense is one of the top five units in the league right now, both against the run and the pass. While they have some stronger opponents coming up on the road ahead, their promising start to the 2025 season shouldn’t be overlooked.

Gannon has been slowly building the defense he wanted to implement since taking over as the head coach of the franchise in 2023. This season, it’s all coming together, and the group they’ve assembled in Arizona is performing on the field.

The Cardinals are allowing 78 rushing yards per game, which is the sixth-best average in the NFL through the first two weeks. They’re forcing teams into passing situations more than any other team, with the lowest opposition run play percentage (28%) of any franchise in the league.

Not only that, but Arizona is also only allowing 5.4 yards per pass play, which ranks third in the league. That’s even more impressive when you consider they’ve defended more pass plays than any other team.

Calais Campbell joined Kay Adams on Thursday to talk about their early success. He said:

“We’re trying to set the bar. The goal is to keep them under 80 yards a game (rushing), which is tough to do in this league. That’s the goal we set as a D-line. A big part of that, though, is winning first down.”

He continued, “We have a lot of guys who can play this game at a high level, so we have a fresh line, we’re doing like hockey line changes, it’s pretty crazy. You’ve got like three or four plays and you’re out. So guys are fresh.”

Campbell returned to the Arizona Cardinals this season as a free agent, opting to return to the franchise that drafted him in 2008 over staying with the Miami Dolphins.

He wasn’t the only addition they made, either. The Cardinals spent big on their front seven in free agency, adding pass rusher Josh Sweat, outside linebacker Baron Browning, inside linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither, and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.

The team has also spent first-round picks on defensive linemen in back-to-back years, and they’re having success before their 2025 first-rounder even gets on the field.

Walter Nolen III was dealing with a calf injury, and was placed on the PUP list to start the season, meaning he’ll miss at least the first four games.

The Cardinals’ next test will be their first NFC West game of the season, against the San Francisco 49ers

Calais Campbell and the Cardinals’ defense will have a tough test this weekend, especially considering their 80 rushing yards allowed target.

The San Francisco 49ers may be wounded without George Kittle, and Brock Purdy could still be out for multiple weeks. However, Kyle Shanahan’s run game is always a problem, and containing Christian McCaffrey will be the focus.

McCaffrey is yet to score a rushing touchdown this season, but does have 124 yards on the ground through the first two games. He’s also been influential as a receiving back, with 125 receiving yards and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints last Sunday.

The Cardinals will be aiming to keep him out of the end zone again this weekend, having only conceded one rushing touchdown as a team so far this season.