The 10 best defensive teams in the NFL
No. 5: Arizona Cardinals
If you’re keeping track at home, this is the third team from the NFC West to make the top ten defenses and we haven’t even gotten to the Super Bowl champions yet (that division is scary). The Cardinals appeared to be on the verge of challenging for the top spot on this list at times last season. Arizona finished near the top of the league in yards allowed, points allowed, sacks, and turnovers forced. To top it all off they have the makings of one of the most dynamic secondaries in the NFL with Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie, Tyrann Mathieu, and first round pick Deone Bucannon.
The reason I hesitate to rank the Cardinals any higher than number five on this list is because they suffered two key losses from last season. The first happened in free agency when LB Karlos Dansby left town for Cleveland. The second came when they lost defensive lineman Darnell Dockett for the season due to injury. Those two were among the best in the league at their positions. The Cardinals will definitely miss them in 2014.
If the Cards want to stay elite they’ll need 34-year-old Larry Foote and 36-year-old John Abraham to have productive years. If they do, the Cards will likely stay one of the better defenses on the strength of their secondary, but if father time catches up with some of them then they could find themselves falling down this list.