TEMPE, Ariz. -- Larry Foote heard about it from the moment he joined the Cardinals.

Arizona finished 2013 as the top-ranked defense against the run and wanted to continue it into this season.

“They [have] been preaching that since I got there,” Foote said.

But as Week 1 crept closer, more key pieces kept disappearing, making it, in theory, harder to repeat that feat. First, Karlos Dansby left in free agency. Then Daryl Washington was suspended, followed by Darnell Dockett being lost for the year with an ACL injury. That was all before the season began. Once the year started, John Abraham was put on IR, and then Calais Campbell and Matt Shaughnessy were shelved.

For the last two weeks, the Cardinals were playing without six of their front seven from Week 17 of last season.

But through it all, the Cardinals still managed to climb back up to the No. 1 spot, securing the league’s best ranking -- at least for this week -- after holding Oakland to 56 yards – including 4 in the final 23 minutes, 49 seconds of the game.

“It starts at the top,” Foote said. “Our line coach, our coordinator, our linebacker coaches, they always screaming. They demand us to be good against the run. They don’t let up.”

Last season, Arizona finished atop the rankings with an average of 84.4 rushing yards per game. This season, that number is down to 72.5 yards per game.

So, how have the Cardinals done it?