Last postseason the Arizona Cardinals showed flashes of what this team could turn into this season- one of the league’s best. They are still not there yet, but if they continue this level of play for a few more games even Chris Collinsworth and Al Michaels will be drinking the Kool-Aid. As well as their defense played in the playoffs, this defense is better. As much as their running game produced in the playoffs, this running team is stronger and has more big play potential. Those are just a few of the exciting possibilities on the horizon for the Cardinals, after their impressive road victory over the Giants to put them atop the NFC West at 4-2.

Rushing offense: B-

I would still like to see more than 18 attempts for their RBs, but Beanie Wells’ increased workload is a sight for sore eyes. He cashed in with nearly 5 yards per carry on 14 of those carries and produced one of the best plays in the game, a 13-yard double stiff-arm TD scamper. Exciting things await if he can build on this performance. Tim Hightower added his 4th rushing TD of the year, but lost a fumble on Arizona’s first drive when they were rolling and seemingly on a scoring drive. Wells also fumbled, but was fortunate it bounced out of bounds. All in all, the Cardinals offered just enough out of their running game to keep the Giants guessing.

Passing offense: C+

Not their usual high flying aerial assault. Kurt Warner played an all around good game, but his lone interception was poorly thrown and led to 7 Giants’ points. Anquan Boldin showed his usual toughness and played through an ankle sprain to make several key catches. Larry Fitzgerald had his usual amount of looks, leading the team in receptions, but he also shockingly struggled with a few drops. Steve Breaston was almost completely shut down with only 1 catch on the night. Still, overall Warner was protected well by the O-line.

Rushing defense: A

While they did allow over 100 net yards, outside of 25 and 14-yard runs, they limited the Giants to 68 yards and took them out of their game by dominating the line of scrimmage and daring Eli to beat them through the air which he could not do. This was the key to the game.

Passing defense: A+

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DRC) made a superstar interception in the end zone on a long throw from Manning with the score still tied at 0-0, but everyone got in the act by the end of the game. They picked off 3 passes and pressured and rattled Eli all night long, picking up 3 sacks. But that’s not why I give this great effort an A+. Bill Davis’ play calling was aggressive all night. He had the team blitzing frequently, bring pressure from all angles, and never sat back in prevent despite having a 10-point lead. Then, the Cardinals had to stave off the last couple of Giants’ efforts at the end of the game with captain Adrian Wilson and DRC sidelined. Replacements Michael Adams and rookie Greg Toler stepped in and executed their assignments without giving up the big play.

Special Teams: B

Nothing major to discuss, just solid play. Punter Ben Graham averaged around 40 yards per punt and nailed 4 inside the 20. Kicker Neil Rackers was solid with no misses or shanks. The return game was good with no muffs.

Coaching: A

Ken Whisenhunt is inching closer to true perfect balance between the run and pass, and even if they never get there, they can move the ball and score on even the best defenses in the NFL. Handing the ball off more to Beanie Wells is a smart move. The trick play with Antrel Rolle running the wildcat, play action pass for a huge bomb to Larry Fitzgerald was a thing of beauty! Stunningly Fitzgerald dropped the ball, but it would have come back anyway since Ben Patrick was called for holding on the play. Still, I hope to see more daring play calling like this in the near future, especially when it utilizes defensive players on offense.

Bill Davis’ decision to have his defense stay aggressive the entire game may have been the wisest choice. This defense thrives on aggression and any semblance of prevent kills the playmakers’ effectiveness.

It should be noted that although the Cardinals will be assessed having allowed 17 points, this is a little misleading. The first TD came after Warner’s interception gave New York a very short field. The second TD came on a fluke play, where DRC’s pass deflection in great coverage ended up in Hakeem Nicks’ hands which he ran in for the score. The play was actually textbook coverage by DRC, and had the ball not bounced the Giants’ way, they would have been punting the next play. The final score could have just as easily been 24-3.