Arizona can hurt teams with its offensive schemes. The Cardinals scored two touchdowns against San Francisco on well-designed plays that left receivers open. On the first, John Brown motioned from wide right to a bunch formation, with the ball being snapped as he was in motion. There was only a tight end along the line on the right side. Brown ended up running a deep post, which left him one-on-one with a safety. Because there was no receiver on the other side, the corner didn’t drop and instead focused on the back and the tight end. That allowed quarterback Drew Stanton room to lead Brown. Later in the game, Brown aligned in the right slot near Larry Fitzgerald against man coverage with a safety over the top. But when Fitzgerald ran behind Brown, the safety flew up, leaving a corner expecting help instead one-on-one with Brown. An easy score. They will throw wheel routes to running back Andre Ellington. He’s shifty, but looks to bounce a lot and does not get much after contact. His success doesn’t change a whole lot when facing a seven- or six-man front (3.58 yards per carry; 3.8 yards overall). For what it’s worth, I wasn’t a big fan of their right guard, Paul Fanaika. He likes to attack defenders by punching, but he could be powered back if he doesn’t because he gets too upright. Think Jason Hatcher rushing against him.

They will miss Calais Campbell. I like what Arizona does defensively; the Cardinals throw multiple looks at an offense. They use a safety, Deone Bucannon, as a linebacker in their nickel packages to get more speed on the field. It’s a good look. But that aggressive style also yields big plays. Arizona ranks last in the NFL in passing yards per game and yields 7.61 yards per pass attempt (26th in the NFL). It will be a little tougher for the Cards this week minus Campbell. He drew double teams; he won one-on-one matchups and played with power – one reason Arizona has played the run well. I saw Campbell win with a swim move and with power. Saw him make a play on the goal line in which the blocker shot low, but Campbell stayed lower, pushed him down and sprung over to make a stop. He’s a big loss.

The Cardinals are aggressive. That’s on both sides of the ball. They’re tied for second in the NFL with six pass attempts of at least 40 yards (Redskins are tied here as well), according to ESPN Stats & Information. They might throw shorter passes if Logan Thomas starts at quarterback, but I’d still expect some shots – Michael Floyd averages 21.6 yards on 12 catches. Defensively, their corners will play a lot of press. Both – Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie like to get their hands on receivers. Peterson loves using aggressive two-hand jams, depending on the receiver. He did not always jam DeSean Jackson in their meeting last season (the one big catch he allowed, a 25-yarder, came when Jackson was aligned in the backfield and ran a wheel route and Peterson got caught in traffic). Their blitzes can be difficult. They will send two defenders through the A-gap, with the tackles in their big nickel also rushing. Another defender will follow the other two through the middle. Tough to pick up; it’s worked a few times. In this setup, they will drop the ends. Sometimes, it’s not as much about the look they give as it is the timing of the blitz. They bring the slot corner and will occasionally bring him plus a safety – the Redskins do some of the same.