As we head towards Week 5, the Arizona Cardinals are the last remaining unbeaten team in the NFL. They have been strong on defense so far, but their offense is what has really impressed. Kyler Murray is playing the best football of his career and is an early candidate for MVP. Last weekend saw perhaps their best performance yet, traveling to L.A. and beating the Rams 37-20.
The Cardinals’ offensive execution was fantastic and their running game in particular deserves credit. They put up 216 rushing yards at an average of 5.4 yards per attempt. This largely came from one basic run that the Rams were powerless to stop – an inside zone play from a spread formation.
What is inside zone?
Before getting into the details of the specific Cardinals play, it is worthwhile explaining what inside zone runs are. Zone running plays see offensive linemen take responsibility for a particular area. This is different from gap runs, where offensive linemen are responsible for blocking a particular defender. Unlike gap runs, which often incorporate pulling linemen, zone runs see the entire line move in unison off the snap.
There are different approaches to inside zone runs, but they are all underpinned by the same core principles. The offensive line will look to create vertical push on the defense, rather than lateral movement (this would be outside zone). Any uncovered lineman (no defender immediately in front of him) will work to create a double team, before climbing to the second level. The running back will run between the tackles and have a general aiming point, rather than a specific gap to attack.
Spread to run
What makes the Cardinals’ running game different to a lot of other teams is their choice of personnel. Teams often like to run the ball out of heavier personnel. This means getting multiple tight ends onto the field and sometimes even a fullback. Arizona take a notably different approach.
They employ a lot of 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end), but they are a serious outlier when it comes to 10 personnel (one running back and four wide receivers). The Cardinals have lined up in 10 personnel on 23% of their snaps this season. The next nearest team to this is the Bills at 13%. No other team has used it on more than 6% of their snaps.
Whilst there are obvious challenges to running plays out of lighter personnel groupings, there are benefits too. With four receivers out on the field, the defense are forced to use lighter personnel packages too. This generally involves them replacing linebackers with defensive backs. The use of spread formations also stresses the defense horizontally, presenting a lighter box for the running back to attack.
How it beat the Rams
This principle was the key to their success against the Rams in Week 4. The Cardinals repeatedly ran the same inside zone to great effect throughout. One of the early examples came at the start of the second quarter. The Cardinals are in 10 personnel and lined up in a 3×1 formation. This leaves just the five offensive linemen to block upfront.
Running the ball is all about the numbers game and creating an advantage in the box. You will see that the Rams initially present a six man box, thereby outnumbering the Cardinals. Shortly before the snap, Kenny Young (#41) bails out to cover the receiver, leaving a five-on-five matchup. Given that inside zone plays leave the backside defensive end unblocked (in this case that Leonard Floyd) it is really a five-on-four matchup in the Cardinals’ favour. James Conner takes advantage and picks up 10 yards.
This is all fairly straight forward, but in theory there is nothing to stop the backside defensive end making a play on the ball carrier. That is where Kyler Murray and his athletic ability come in. Everyone knows how dangerous Murray is with the ball in his hands. The Rams made it a point of emphasis to stop him running the ball, and were largely successful in doing so. Murray was held to just two designed runs, the lowest single game total of his career.
They did this by using the backside defensive end to contain Murray. On plays like this, the quarterback often has the option to keep the ball and run. He will base this decision on whether or not the defensive end “crashes down” and pursues the back. If he does, Murray will loop around him and take advantage of the open field. If he slows his feet to stop the quarterback run, Murray will just hand the ball off. The advantage for Arizona is that this basically takes the defensive end out of the play. The offensive line don’t need to block him and can focus on the other defenders.
The Cardinals took advantage of this in the red zone too. On this play they were in a 1st and goal situation midway through the second quarter. Notice how they are still committed to spread formations, with four wide receivers on the field. This is different to a lot of teams, who will employ heavier personnel nearer the goal line. This time the Rams should have enough to stop the run. They have one-on-one coverage with the receivers, giving them a seven man box.
Once again, Murray makes his presence felt. He is well known for keeping the ball in the red zone and the Cardinals know that the Rams will expect that here. This time L.A. commit two defenders to stopping Murray. This gives the offensive line a five-one-five matchup. Max Garcia (#73) and Josh Jones (#79) focus on double teaming Aaron Donald, whilst Rodney Hudson (#61) does a great job containing the nose tackle. Kenny Young is largely unblocked, but it doesn’t matter, with James Conner having a clear cutback lane to the end zone.
The Cardinals went back to this play again and again throughout the game. It also provided them with their biggest run of the day in the fourth quarter. The fact that this came on a traditional passing situation of a 3rd and 7 speaks to just how much the Cardinals could rely on this play.
This time they are faced with a five man box and once again, Kyler Murray’s rushing threat holds the backside edge player long enough that he can’t make a play on the ball. Even though Justin Pugh (#67) doesn’t block anyone on this play, the rest of the line execute well enough to give Edmonds plenty of open field. He is eventually stopped after a 54-yard gain.
This play perfectly encapsulates why the Cardinals are such a dangerous offense. Everyone knows how effective they are in the passing game, with a host of talented receiving weapons. Nobody wants to commit to the run, as this will leave the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green with favourable matchups downfield. Yet if the defense sells out to stop the pass or to prevent Kyler Murray from scrambling, the Cardinals are more than happy to run on light boxes all day long.
What makes this all the more impressive was that this came against an incredibly talented Rams defense. L.A. had allowed just 278 rushing yards through their first three games of the season. This was also the first time since 2019 that they had given up 200+ rushing yards in a game. If the Cardinals can make it look so easy against this defense, what hope does the rest of the NFL have?
