What we learned from the Arizona cardinals who thrashed New York’s fighter jets

This might be one of the most surprising four-week stretches in Arizona Cardinals history.

Even more than a few years ago, when Arizona started 7-0, very few fans, analysts or possibly even people close to the team saw this coming.

Even if you had seen this coming, it would have been hard to see the road this four-game winning streak has begun.

The final victory could well be the magnum opus. Most fans hope not, but at least at this point in the season.

There are several takeaways here – and yes, they are all positive. If you can find a major flaw in the way Arizona won this game, that’s your endorsement.

It could be the 17 straight completions. Maybe the two rushing touchdowns. Maybe it was just a nice touchdown pass he threw after being sacked so hard his helmet flew off.

Whatever proof you need, Murray looked and played comfortable against one of the best (or at least at the start of the year) defenses in the league.

Murray had no problem doing what he wanted. Probably his “worst” thrown ball of the day still came to Trey McBride (who was wide open). Murray getting into the groove of Drew Petzing’s offense heading into the bye week is not only exciting news for Cardinals fans, but something most wouldn’t have thought possible just a few weeks ago.

Every time McBride touched the ball today it was a big play. The aforementioned wide-open catch. The big third down conversion with 10 minutes left in the second, Arizona up 14-6, where he broke a tackle to gain 17 yards instead of the four or so he should have.

He only had four catches, but they all seemed big (most fans will even forget that he actually “dropped” a touchdown). He is a huge physical and mental target for Kyler Murray.

And yes, I don’t think this is a bad thing for Marvin Harrison Jr..

Before the season started, most analysts and fans could see that Arizona was playing games like this on a regular basis, especially since most fans thought they would have to deal with the defense.

Again, not to elaborate on this point, but a few weeks ago there was some doubt about this type of game.

Two weeks ago in Miami it was the passing game. Last week it was the run game that destroyed the Bears. This week…how about clicking on both aspects?

What’s scary about this offense is that the stats from the last two games probably could have been even more gaudy (350 and 406 yards, respectively) had the game not been in hand in both fourth quarters of the game.

They control things with the run game, as came the plan this year, and keep their defense off the field by staying in rhythm with easy throws for Murray (well, mostly easy…).

It’s crazy to think that we may not have even seen the best of this offense yet.

Trey Benson has had a somewhat disappointing start to the season. Along with the rest of the four third-round picks Arizona had in Benson, Isaiah Adams, Tip Reiman and Elijah Jones, most Cardinals fans would say it was a disappointing round for Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort.

Maybe not so much anymore.

Benson was rated by some as the best running back in last year’s draft and appears to finally be making good on that promise. He led the team with 62 yards rushing – with several long stretches in the second half wearing down the Jets.

Some, including myself, thought Michael Carter deserved more work. However, given the time and patience he earned, Benson proves that he is not a good compliment to James Conner, but also a viable replacement. Some of his runs, with the broken tackles and vision, looked very Conner-esque.

Adams and Reiman also continue to prove Ossenfort wise with each week and more playing time, as they are valuable components of the unstoppable Cardinals run game. It’s a huge lesson in patience for critical fans, but also an exciting twist after a slow start to the season for these three.

Makes you wonder what Elijah Jones will do when he comes back, doesn’t it?

Speaking of the Arizona secondary:

It’s too late to admit that the Cardinals secondary has been the most impressive part of this team, and perhaps the main fulcrum of their current momentum.

Yes, the defense as a whole has been impressive over the last two weeks, but let’s take a step back. Arizona has held two terribly good receiving corps (at least on paper) under control, despite injuries to a starter both weeks.

Budda Baker is having perhaps the best season of his career, and that says something about a perennial professional bowler. He doesn’t have the flashy interception numbers you’d expect from a safety, but his tackles are impeccable and he’s consistently around the football. He has seven tackles for loss on the season, along with a total of 100 tackles, and had his first sack on Sunday – and a well-deserved one, to say the least.

He will challenge Ossenfort this offseason to make a decision on his future.

One of the main reasons for this is Dadrion Taylor-Demerson’s play. Every time “Rabbit” is on the field, he makes his presence known. He tackles everyone in his sight, just like Baker, and has a nose for football. He may be playing deep safety better than anyone on the team – it’s a shock that he doesn’t have an interception yet (he almost had one in the end zone on Sunday).

The transition from him to Jalen Thompson was seamless on Sunday and one of the main reasons they held Rodgers and company to just 151 yards.

And let’s not forget the cornerbacks. Max Melton, Starling Thomas and Garrett Williams all had big games on Sunday. Even the much-maligned Sean Murphy-Bunting was solid and kept everything in front of him for a long time with the other three. There was no deep pass or delay in coverage this week. No spectacular Garrett Wilson catch or Devontae Adams takeover game.

You can’t say enough about all these players on the backend. The free agency and draft additions are clearly paying off.

A somewhat minor takeaway from this matchup is that it appears Browning was a solid move for this team, especially for a sixth-round pick. Will he be the 10+ sack player they need on this team to be a truly dominant defense? That remains to be seen.

But even in limited snaps, he made his presence felt, pressuring Aaron Rodgers on multiple occasions and showing off an impressive spin move.

Right now, the sum of the pass rush is greater than its parts. On their way to a cash flush this offseason, the Cardinals can, and likely will, strengthen the front 3 defensive lineman (…wait what is that? They have a first round pick that hasn’t been played yet? That’s what you say not… .) and to the group of pass rushers.

But if the last two games have shown nothing else, it’s that the defense has taken a huge step forward from last year.

That’s all most Cardinals fans would have asked for, and Browning will be a big part of that in the final stretch of the season.