Stop the run, make the opposing offense one-dimensional, pin your ears back and make plays on the ball.
The goal of every NFL defense remains true for Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker entering the Week 13 road trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium Sunday.
“I always talk about the run game. Of course, they have couple backs that are real good downhill backs. They like to run the ball too, and they keep ’em fresh, of course, not keeping one back on for many series, so they kind of rotate back and forth. That’s always gonna be the number one job is to stopping the guys in the trenches, of course,” Baker said to reporters Thursday, according to video via the Cardinals’ YouTube page.
Easier said than done for Baker and the Cardinals this season.
Entering Week 13, the Cardinals are third-worst in the NFL against the run, allowing 140.1 yards per game on the ground, putting them just behind the New York Jets, who are second with 140.3 yards allowed per game. The Denver Broncos are the worst run defense in football at 155.2 yards per game.
Last week, the Los Angeles Rams rushed for 228 yards against the Cardinals in a 37-14 win, and now the Cardinals have to prepare for a Steelers run game that is on quite a run (no pun intended) in the last month.
Dating back to the Week Nine matchup against the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers have rushed for 150 yards or more in all four games, going 3-1 in that stretch with wins over the Titans, Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals.
In that month-long stretch, the Steelers are averaging 174 rushing yards per game as third-year running back Najee Harris and second-year running back Jaylen Warren have taken turns dominating opponents in recent weeks. That lethal 1-2 punch in the backfield will be a major problem for the Cardinals.
It took the Steelers a few weeks longer than they might have liked, but the offense has a clear identity. It’s running the football. In the last month they’ve been consistent in the run game, getting explosive runs at an impressive rate while really imposing their will on defenses. Now, the Steelers have a great opportunity ahead against the Cardinals at home.
The weather is supposed to be rainy and around 50 degrees, perfect football weather for a ground-and-pound team like the Steelers. Baker and the Cardinals are aiming to stop the run first and foremost, but they haven’t been able to do it yet. Chances are they won’t be able to do it Sunday against Pittsburgh, either.
