Cardinals' Biggest Question Mark Became Unexpected Hero

The Cardinals' defense was a massive question mark entering the season. How much? In our bold predictions piece, we said defensive coordinator Nick Rallis would be fired before the bye week.

Over the offseason, Arizona made no major improvements to one of the worst units in the league and brought back their same play-caller despite trying to hire multiple outside coordinators to replace Rallis. That failed, and the Cardinals now have to bank on health and massive improvement from top to bottom.

We're far from taking any victory laps or making any damning declarations, though it's so far and so good for what was supposed to be Arizona's largest question mark entering 2026.

The Cardinals held the Chargers to just 14 points, forced multiple turnovers and held Los Angeles to 2-8 on third-down conversions while Justin Herbert and co. didn't convert any of their three fourth-down attempts.

"I thought as the game went on, they just got better and better, and I thought they looked like they were in great shape. I thought they could go the distance," LaFleur told reporters on Monday.

"I felt that way going into the game that no matter how long it was going to take, I felt like we could do it. Whether the result came or not, I wasn't as concerned about that, but I felt like they could handle the punches and keep going back out there if need be. I thought they just kind of got a little bit better. I thought they fed off of each other. I thought (Defensive Coordinator) Nick (Rallis) called a really good game.

"I thought it was really clean on their end; he held himself accountable for a few like we all do, but overall, very pleased with them. But again, a lot to clean up."

It looked as if we were in for a shootout after the Chargers easily marched down the field on their opening drive for a touchdown. Preseason issues in tackling and coverage were prevalent on L.A.'s first possession.

Yet after that, just one touchdown was scored by Herbert and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. Los Angeles finished with under 300 yards of total offense.

Perhaps the best part? The Cardinals saw contributions from unsung heroes across the board.

Dante Stills sacked Herbert on a fourth-and-goal right before halftime to swing momentum in Arizona's favor. Andrew Wingard intercepted a Herbert heave when Los Angeles was trying to claw their way back into the game late. Jack Gibbens led the Cardinals in tackles on the afternoon.

A pass rush that ranked near the bottom of the league last season brought down Herbert three times. After the Cardinals made adjustments following their opening drive, Rallis' unit answered the call whenever a play was needed.

For so much talk about how bad Arizona's defense would be, the one game sample size we have suggests the unit might not be so bad.

Of course, football is a complementary game. The Cardinals owning their most share of possession (15 minutes over Los Angeles) was the highest it's been since 2023. Arizona was able to churn out clock and more importantly put points on the board — all of which helps the defense.

Yet after 60 minutes of football, perhaps there is indeed hope for the Cardinals' defense in 2026.