Aaron Rodgers will be seeing red in his sleep as the Cardinals pass rush, led by Dwight Freeney and Calais Campbell, tormented the Packers QB. The Cardinals blitz packages destroyed the Packers pass protection time and time again and as the game went on, the turnovers came. The Cardinals forced 4 fumbles on sacks (5 fumbles overall), 2 of the fumbles were recovered and returned for TD’s in the 38-8 rout of their NFC foe. Former all-pro Dwight Freeney and his devastating spin move led the charge with 3 sacks on the day, while pro bowler Calais Campbell had 2.5 sacks on his own. During this game and throughout the season, the Cardinals utilized SS Deone Bucannon in a variety of ways to make their pass rush dynamic and to create matchup problems with speed and quickness. In this breakdown, I have highlighted the 7 of the 8 sacks that the Cardinals had on Aaron Rodgers throughout the game.

Play 1: 3rd & 13. -30. 11:08 2nd.

Pass Rushers: 5

Pass Protectors: 6

The Packers keep their RB in for protection against the Cardinals 5 man rush on this play. The Cardinals bring their Nickel CB from the right side and the Packers do a good job of picking up the add-in blitzer with their RB. On the left side of the formation, the Cardinals bring 2 pass rushers for the 2 offensive lineman of the Packers. In the middle of the formation, the Packers double down on the NT who is aligned in a 0 technique. What makes this blitz effective is the pressure from the edges which forces the QB to step up in the pocket while going through his progression. The NT powers through the double team, and swallows up the QB to finish off the sack with his teammates not far behind.

Play 2: 2nd & 7. 45. 3:28 2nd.

Pass Rushers: 4

Pass Protectors: 5

The Cardinals only rush their 4 down lineman on this play, matching up against the 5 man O-Line of the Packers. The Cardinals run an End-Nose stunt to the left side of the formation. The End does a good job of engaging with the LT in order to take him into the LG and occupy two blockers while the Nose wraps around on the stunt. The pass rush appears to be held up and the QB slides in the pocket to his left. The Nose (Campbell) does a good job of coming off the butt of the crashing End and he runs right into the QB for an easy sack.

Play 3: 3rd & 15. -47. 2:41 2nd.

Pass Rushers: 3 (2 QB Spy’s add in)

Pass Protectors: 6

This play is more of a coverage sack than anything but with the Cardinals only rushing 3, it still shows their relentlessness to get to the QB. With only a 3-man front on this play, the Cardinals run an End-Nose stunt once again but it takes a little longer to hit home on this play. The two LB’s (one being the SS Bucannon) both fake a blitz and stand their ground to spy the QB until the rush hits home and they add in on the blitz. You see when the pocket begins to break down, the QB looks to run but the spy’s force him to stay in the pocket. Once again, Campbell comes free on the looping stunt and gets to the QB. It takes a while for Campbell to get to the QB but his motor does not stop and he is able to get another sack and force the Packers to punt.

Play 4: 2nd & 9. -10. 13:26 3rd.

Pass Rushers: 4

Pass Protectors: 5

On this play, the Cardinals run what is called an “Eyes” stunt which is a stunt between the Nose and the Tackle to try to get one of the rushers free. The Packers have a 5-man protection with an empty backfield. This play is all about Dwight Freeney who is lined up as the left DE. He comes off the ball, explosive and quick forcing the LT to slide and gain ground to keep up with the blitzing DE. Once he gets the LT on the move, Freeney hits him with his patented spin move. What makes this move so effective is the furiousity that Freeney spins with. He makes the LT lose his balance and then to finish him off, Freeney brings his outside arm through and pushes the blocker by him. Bringing your arm through to finish off the blocker is the key to an effective spin move, if not the blocker can just regain his balance and shove you into the middle of the line. Once Freeney gets passed his blocker it is all too easy for the DE to bring down the QB for a sack.

Play 5: 1st & 10. -35. 12:26 3rd.

Pass Rushers: 5

Pass Protectors: 5

The Cardinals utilize Bucannon on this play as he comes on the blitz from his LB position. The Packers use 5 to protect against the 5-man rush of the Cardinals, but the Cardinals overload the left side of the formation bringing 3 on 2. The DT and DE on the left side push to the outside shoulder of their blocker to open a lane for the blitzing Bucannon. Bucannon explodes through the lane left open from the blockers and although the LG tries to regain the ground, it is too late. With Bucannon naturally being a Safety, he has speed and agility that many LB’s do not have. He is able to get through the rushing lane and sack the QB before anything can be developed down the field.

Play 6: 3rd & 7. 49. 9:47 3rd.

Pass Rushers: 4

Pass Protectors: 5

The Packers are once again keeping 5 in to protect the QB on this play, and the Cardinals counter that by rushing their 4 down linemen. The Cardinals rush to the outside on each side of the line in order to create a 4 on 4 matchup, a matchup the Cardinals will win. Kareem Martin is aligned as the right DE in a wide technique. Being aligned wide (7 or 9 technique) allows for the rusher to come right at the blocker, rather than looping upfield and around the blocker. Martin gets himself lower than his blocker and is able to keep his line on his way to the QB for yet another sack.

Play 7: 1st & 10. -11. 4:26 3rd.

Pass Rushers: 5

Pass Protectors: 6

The Cardinals bring extra pressure from the secondary on this play, bringing the Nickel back from the left side. The left DE and DT (3 technique) both inside move to accommodate the extra blitzer on their side. The Packers do a nice job of picking up the overloaded blitz this time but once again they lose the 1 on 1 battle on the backside. The right DE shows an excellent pass rush move on this play with perfect execution of the club and rip combo. As soon as the RT puts his arm out, the DE chops down with his outside arm to get the blockers hands off him. On this move the chop must be violent, but fast in order for it to work. Once he gets the blockers hands off him once, he must rip through to keep the blockers hands off of him a second time. Once he completes his move, the DE uses his speed in order to bring down the QB. Perfect execution leads to a sack for the Cardinals, the play is ultimately nullified by a roughing the passer penalty from the second hit on the QB.

Play 8: 3rd & 18. -18. 3:11 3rd.

Pass Rushers: 4

Pass Protectors: 6

To finish off the breakdown, the Cardinals once again get a sack, fumble and return TD. The SS comes on a blitz from the secondary, looping around to the opposite side to create a stunt. The Packers FB jumps to protect against the stunt, leaving the LT 1 on 1 with Freeney once again. Freeney uses his speed and balance to get around the LT this time, finishing off his pass rush with a rip through and a sack. As Freeney turns the corner, he gets very low, almost horizontal, and rips past the blocker and bringing down the QB and taking the ball with him.

The Cardinals had 2 more sacks that were not highlighted in this breakdown, giving them a total of 9 on the game. As the NFL gets into the playoffs, the Cardinals defense will be key to helping them make a run to the Super Bowl. Partnered with a solid secondary, the Arizona pass rush brings heat on opposing QB’s time after time with a multitude of weapons. With speed, the Cardinals are able to beat the slower offensive lineman around the edge and chase down QB’s. With power, the Cardinals line has the ability to power through double teams and work their way to the QB in a collapsing pocket. With technique, the Cardinals are able to run stunts and execute pass rush moves on their way to the QB by confusing offensive blocking schemes and beating blockers 1 on 1. If the Cardinals are able to execute as the season moves forward they will be a threat to go deep into the playoffs