Cardinals' Most Concerning Stat Starts in the Trenches: Can They Fix It?

Through two weeks of football, chatter around the Arizona Cardinals has reached new levels thanks to potential quarterback trades and however you'd like to describe Marvin Harrison Jr.'s situation in the desert.

The Cardinals have an opportunity to silence some of said noise this week when they pack their bags for a trip to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. While storylines and narratives will continue to be discussed, one of Arizona's biggest problems rests on the field.

Simply put, the Cardinals haven't been able to run block through the first two weeks of the season.

The Cardinals' most concerning stat thus far

Arizona's 0.6 yards averaged before contact ranks in the bottom five of NFL teams. If you need translation, the Cardinals aren't getting any push upfront and are being, for lack of better term, handled at the point of attack.

One stat doesn't sway a football team, though in the ever-evolving ecosystem that is an offense, not being able to win in the trenches bleeds into everything else. Cardinals fans are all too aware of that, as 2024's second-half collapse and 2025's massive lack of run prowess showed how crucial that is.

Not being able to run the football hurts in numerous ways. You're not able to wear front seven personnel out over the course of a game while being incapable of grinding out the clock late in the game if needed.

Oftentimes you lose the possession game, find yourself in obvious passing downs and can't keep your defense off the field for long periods of time.

It's not pretty, and while there's several different ways to construct a team, last year's playoff picture shows effectively running the ball — more times than not — leads to success.

Out of the eight divisional round teams, only the Houston Texans (ranked 32nd) weren't in the top half of the league in ESPN's run-block win rate metric.

The two conference title games featured the No. 12 (NE), 4 (DEN), 8 (SEA) and 2 (LAR) ranked teams in that metric.

Through two weeks of football, the 2026 Cardinals rank No. 24 in that metric. Arizona is one of ten teams who aren't averaging at least 95 yards on the ground.

Of course, playing a defense like the Seahawks will alter those numbers. But that's life in the NFC West — and it's on Mike LaFleur to figure that out.

But how can you do that?

Is there any hope for Cardinals to strike success in run game?

“Like I told you guys on Monday, there’s certain aspects of our run game that I think we’ve done a decent job at where we can improve," LaFleur told reporters this week.

"Then there are other areas of our run game where I think we can get a lot better. Work in progress is the way I kind of summed it up; whether that was Monday or last week. I still feel that way (and I'm) excited to get after it today.”

The good news? We're only two weeks in, and the Cardinals are still climbing in terms of getting better and peaking at the right time.

There's talented runners in Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier. The passing attack has plenty of weapons to keep defenses balanced.

The attention then is directed to the offensive line, where multiple spots were addressed this offseason. The Cardinals signed Isaac Seumalo to start at left guard and Elijah Wilkinson to start at right tackle before drafting second-round pick Chase Bisontis to compete at right guard.

The immediate results haven't quite been thrilling. Bisontis is likely out for the season with a torn meniscus while the right side duo of Isaiah Adams and Wilkinson has struggled. Seumalo, while not a standout, also hasn't been the weak link either.

There's no ability to wave a magic wand and fix the Cardinals' offensive line. However, LaFleur admits there's something he and his staff can do to get things turned around in the running game.

“Across the board, we have to call better plays, and we have to get better clarity to these guys. That fine balance of calling two plays in what we call our ‘Cam Package’. Sometimes it’s ‘Hey, let’s get into the perfect play.’ Other times it’s like, ‘Don’t worry about the perfect play. Let’s get off the ball and get on people.’ It takes all 11 in the run game, but it also takes good scheme and the right time of calling these plays," he said.

Play-calling might be the only way to viably change things. Besides inserting Jon Gaines at right guard or making a surprise move for an upgrade at right tackle, Arizona's essentially stuck with their personnel.

The Cardinals rank near the top of the league in motion before the snap but are near the bottom in overall play-action usage. The two may not correlate, though if defenses can't be kept honest when scanning run/pass keys, Arizona's already behind the eight ball.

It's a simple question that begs for complex answers — but one the Cardinals need to answer regardless if they'll get back in the win column.

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