NFC West: Which defense got their hands on the football the most during the 2025 regular season?
By Walter Mitchell
Before you see the results, jot down your answer --- was it the Cardinals, Rams, 49ers or Seahawks?
OK --- please scroll down.
Mitch Metric: Hands on the Football
Total of:
1. Interceptions
2. Pass Breakups
3. Forced Fumbles
4. Batted Passes
As many of you know, in recent seasons, I have been documenting my claim that NFL defenses that get their hands on the football the most, tend to celebrate team wins more frequently.
2025 Arizona Cardinals:
Denzel Burke
Total of: 73
1. Interceptions --- 10
2. Pass Breakups --- 42
3. Forced Fumbles --- 10
4. Batted Passes --- 11
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2025 Los Angeles Rams
Total of: 85
1. Interceptions --- 16
2. Pass Breakups --- 46
3. Forced Fumbles --- 12
4. Batted Passes --- 11
________________________________________________
San Francisco 49ers
Renardo Green
Total of: 58
1. Interceptions --- 6
2. Pass Breakups --- 31
3. Forced Fumbles --- 11
4. Batted Passes --- 10
_____________________________________________________
Seattle Seahawks
Josh Jobe
Total of: 86
1. Interceptions --- 18
2. Pass Breakups --- 53
3. Forced Fumbles --- 7
4. Batted Passes --- 8
_____________________________________________________-
Team leaders (Hands on the Football) on defense:
* ARI --- Denzel Burke
* LAR --- Emanuel Forbes Jr.
* SF --- Renardo Green
* SEA --- Josh Jobe
_____________________________________________________
Conclusion:
This goes to show that the Cardinals need to employ a more aggressive defensive philosophy and they need stronger and more talented defensive playmakers.
When you look at the amount of draft picks we have allocated to defensive draft picks the last three years it makes you question our defensive philosophy and development. Players have actualky regressed . Hope some new coaches can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteOh I think the secondary is in for a Renaissance season. We're about to see Pat P and Honey Badger again. I don't know who will step up but I can almost guarantee the new secondary coaches are about to go berserk.
DeleteIf I remember correctly, the Cardinals were among the leaders (and maybe even leading the league) in hands on footballs a few games into the season.
ReplyDeleteLike everything else last season, it went severely down hill as the injuries piled up. I would expect this metric to improve greatly this year with the investments we have made (and will make) in our defence.
Excellent memory, NSCard. I was charting that at the time.
DeleteI am expecting a BIG jump from these guys in 2026 season. Will Johnson, Max Melton, Elijah Jones, Garrett Williams are all legitimate coverage (getting Ponds or Scott in draft will make up for Williams oft-injured and being zone versus man should make this group elite).
ReplyDeleteAll this is dependent upon better coaching than what we've seen from Rallis in three years.
Walter, the "Mitch Metric" does a fantastic job of cutting through the noise and quantifying something coaches have always known intuitively — ball disruption is a winning habit. The gap between Seattle (86) and Arizona (73) isn't just a 13-play difference; it represents a mindset gap.The real cause for the gap, though, is coaching and defensive philosophy.
ReplyDeleteThe Rams and Seahawks were clearly deploying schemes that forced quarterbacks into tight windows and contested throws, creating more opportunities for tipped balls and picks. Arizona under Rallis often seemed content to prevent the big play rather than take the ball away — a reactive posture rather than a proactive one. Ball-hawking defenses are built, not stumbled into.
With new secondary coaches coming in and young talent like Will Johnson, Max Melton, and Elijah Jones developing, the infrastructure for a jump in this metric is real. The question is whether the coaching staff instills that aggressive, "we're going to take it from you" mentality from Day 1 of camp
That gap could simply be having to play the Cardinals twice. Both games were 10 plus Mitch Metric and carried a heavy part of their 86 hands on balls.
DeleteI'm officially on the Love Train! at #3 JL isn't just a pick; it’s a franchise-defining statement. He has been described by many experts with generational stuff that you don't pass on.
ReplyDeleteThe Cards have spent way too many years without a true, dominant, game-changing superstar to build around. If we want our future top-picked QB to actually succeed, we can't leave him on an island. Pairing a 'once-in-a-decade' weapon like Love with an elite TE creates a nightmare for defenses and finally gives us an identity. He’ll eat the clock, keep our D fresh, and give us the elite juice we've been missing for a decade. Stop playing it safe and draft the superstar.
Beautifully said regarding the impact Jeremiyah Love can have on the team, 61. I am on board for all of the reasons you mentioned.
DeleteIt's an interesting argument for a RB at 3. Most would say it's a poor choice because the saving that can be had for a premium position over the life of the rookie deal as compared to a top of the market RB that we are only projecting at this point as soon as he is picked.
DeleteI think the real edge is if he is 'that guy' and you have him for 8-10 years. Now you have premium production at top of the market prices but at a cost controlled position that doesn't take a huge piece of the pie by comparison to premium position. MB is more likely to pay this guy than retain a strong premium piece at a potential top of the market deal.
Just for fun, I did a 4 round mock draft at PFF with Love at 3. I won't bore you with the trade details, as there were a bunch, but here are the big ones; I figured if we are going heavy on run game with Love, we needed another TE, so I traded MHJ (and a 2027 2nd rounder) to land Kenyon Sadig - who I love. These are a lot of 'my guys' but it was a fun mock to do.
R1 - 3 = Love
R1 - 16 = TE Kenyon Sadiq
R2 - 47 = LB Jacob Rodriquez
R2 - 54 = CB Keionte Scott
R3 - 70 = WR Elijah Sarratt
R3 - 89 = ED Keyron Crawford
R3 - 90 = T Markell Bell
R4 - 103 = QB Carson Beck
R4 - 110 = DI Landon Robinson
R4 - 124 = DI Zxavian Harris
R4 - 135 = RB Emmett Johnson
Man, NSCard, sign me up for this draft! Wow!
DeleteIt won’t be Bain as new information has emerged
ReplyDelete. Love makes sense, put up points to make up for a bottom 10 Defense
Bain's reckless driving is inexcusable. It cannot be ignored, mitigated or condoned.
DeleteAs unfortunate as that was, sometimes that is just the kick in the pants that a person might need to truly be the best they can be.
DeleteAnd some GM's would use it as a way to get them a little later in the draft.