Rallis' Borealis! How brilliantly the Cardinals' defense is getting their hands on the football!

By Walter Mitchell

                                                        photo credit: Chris Trailchick

As many of you know by now, for the past few years I have been tracking what I have termed a Pass Defense Barometer (PDB) by counting the number of times per game that the Cardinals and other NFL defenses are getting their hands on the football. 

The formula: interceptions + pass breakups = Pass Defense Barometer

The reason why I started tracking this metric was out of concern for the lack of plays on the ball the Cardinals' defense had been making.

My oh my, have things changed in this regard this season thus far.

In fact, through two games the PDBs for the Cardinals have been what many defensive gurus would consider elite. 

I am now calling this phenomenon: "Rallis' Borealis"

Look at this compilation of the Cardinals defensive plays versus the Panthers that Brian Baldinger posted:

https://x.com/i/status/1968424773836222880


Brian Baldinger
@BaldyNFL
.
@Panthers
@AZCardinals
pretty strong ROI on the Cardinals investments this off season in both Free Agency and in the draft.
@DenzelBurke10
looked like the coming of Patrick Petersen (ok ok a little hyperbole) But he looked confident. #BaldysBreakdowns
2:00 / 2:00
111.7K
Views

Just in this one video, look at how many times the Cardinals go their hands on the football. When have we ever seen the likes of this in recent years? The contributions that Denzel Burke made coming off the bench in this game were phenomenal.

Week 1 NFL Leaders in PDB:

1. JAC: 11
2. ARI: 10
3. CIN: 8

Week 2 NFL Leaders in PDB:

1. LAC: 17 (2 int + 15 PBUs = 17)
2. JAC: 14 (3 + 11 = 14)
3. ARI: 10 (1 + 9 = 10)
3. CIN: 10 (2 + 8 = 10)
5. NYG: 9 (1 + 8 =9)

Through 2 Weeks NFL Leaders in PDB:

1. JAC: 25
2. LAC: 21
3. ARI: 20
4. CIN: 18
5. SEA: 13

Note: On the flip side, this past week, here were the three worst in PDB:

1. CHI: 0
2. MIN: 1
3. TB, MIA: 2

NFC West PDB Leaders:

1. ARI: 20
2. SEA: 13
3. LAR: 9
4. SFO: 5

Think about this --- last year the Cardinals ranked 31st in the NFL in PDB with a 17-game season-long total of 35.

In 2 games this season, the Cardinals' PDB of 20 is more than half (57%) of their PDB last season.

Credit Monti Ossenfort, Jonathan Gannon, Nick Rallis, the defensive coaches and players for making such a dramatic improvement in how they are attacking the ball this year.

PDB Leaders in the Clubhouse trough 2 games:

1. Will Johnson: 4
2. Denzel Burke: 3
3. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson: 2
3. Mack Wilson Sr.: 2
3. Baron Browning: 2
6. Budda Baker: 1
6. Jalen Thompson: 1
6. Akeem Davis-Gaither: 1
6. Max Melton: 1
6. Kei'Trel Clark: 1
6. Dante Stills: 1
6. Garrett Williams: 1

Total: 20 from 12 players.

As the song goes, "Celebrate good times, come on!"













Comments

  1. UnfortunateFanSeptember 19, 2025 at 7:15 AM

    Johnson and Burke dominating this list implies it is more about the players than the coaches.

    ReplyDelete
  2. RedrunSeptember 19, 2025 at 8:31 AM

    Might have something to do with...
    (1) QB's we played against not being strong: Rattler & Young (We also had early leads in both games leading them to pass more than run)
    (2) Improvement of our DL: Imagine if they improved their Pressure rate (Improved run D & less blitzing this year too)
    (3) Ballhawking draft picks: Johnson, Burke, Rabbit
    (4) Coaching emphasis on takeaways: Vision was our DL would be getting more pressure so focusing on 'PDB' (I like this metric) became more of emphasis.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TMAttySeptember 19, 2025 at 8:32 AM

    Love the nickname, the metric, and the fact that we are turning a corner on getting to the ball on defense!

    A couple years ago you were also talking about the importance of the "game-ending sack," I think referring to Chris Jones specifically. Good to see we had one of those this week with Calais, but also Sweat would've similarly ended the game with a sack had it not been recalled due to a bogus penalty.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Since 61September 19, 2025 at 11:45 AM

    With several of our PDB leaders out or injured for the upcoming game, I'm looking forward to seeing how Denzel Burke, Kei'Trel Clark, Elijah Jones, and Darren Hall fill-in. Will they play JT in the Nickel? Gotta bring a better than last 2 games pass rush to pressure Jones (holds on to the ball too long) and see a creative game plan from Rallis. Season starts Sunday

    ReplyDelete
  5. Flash87September 19, 2025 at 2:11 PM

    Back end of the defense is pulling their weight. Big 10 leading the way at the corner position. Defensive line needs to start picking it up.

    ReplyDelete

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