Didn't see this coming: Cards No. 1 vs. run

There are certain things you just knew about the Cardinals this season.

Kurt Warner would throw the ball at least 30 times a game.

Arizona would suffer some sort of Super Bowl hangover.

Anquan Boldin would be asked about his contract situation, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would return at least one interception for a touchdown.

But here’s one you never would have predicted: The Cardinals lead the NFL in rushing defense.

That’s right, the same defense that was gouged last season for 185 yards by Philadelphia, 239 by Minnesota and 183 by New England is the NFL’s’ stingiest unit against the run.

The numbers:

Arizona is allowing just 71 rushing yards per game.

It’s second, behind Tennessee, in yards allowed per attempt (2.9).

The Cardinals have given up two rushing touchdowns; only Minnesota, New England and Pittsburgh have allowed fewer.

And, of course, Arizona secured its 28-21 win over Houston Sunday with a fourth-quarter, goal-line stand that included stoning two Texans’ running plays from the 1-yard line.

“I think the No. 1 ranking against the run and the goal-line stand tell us that if teams think they can run on us and we bow our back, we can stop anybody,” defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. "Guys believe, ‘You want to run on us? Oh, please, c’mon. That’s what we do well.’ ”

Now we’d be remiss not to point out that the Cardinals rank dead last in pass defense, allowing 303 yards per game.

“I guess they’re throwing it against us a lot more,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

He’s right about that. Arizona’s four opponents – San Francisco, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Houston – have attempted 159 passes and run the ball 97 times. Still, Arizona’s No. 1 ranking isn’t solely a byproduct of its lousy pass defense.

The truth is, the Cardinals have been stout against the run since the playoffs began last season. After allowing 110.2 yards per game in the regular season, Arizona gave up just 72.5 in its four playoff contests. And that included games against Atlanta and Carolina, which ranked second and third in rushing, respectively.

“We felt like we had a good rush defense last year when we had to,” nose tackle Bryan Robinson said.

Ah, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? The Cardinals were maddeningly inconsistent, as the games against the Vikings, Patriots and Eagles attest.

This year, however, Arizona has allowed only one team – the Colts – to rush for more than 100 yards. The Cardinals held San Francisco’s Frank Gore to 30 yards on 22 carries in the season opener, limited Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew to 66 yards and, last week, held Houston to 45 yards on 21 carries. In that game, the Texans had seven carries that went for no yards.

The difference?

The switch in defensive coordinators has something to do with it. Davis, who replaced Clancy Pendergast, changed the alignment up front, tightening the gaps between linemen. That hurts the pass rush because the defensive line doesn’t have as much space to operate, but it closes running lanes.

“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on it,” Davis said. “Against San Francisco, we were all in to stop the run.”

Ultimately, though, it comes down to players. The Cardinals were embarrassed when they got run over last season. Conversely, they were emboldened when they shut down Atlanta and Carolina in the postseason. It’s like the fat guy who loses a lot of weight and is determined not to regain the pounds.

“We saw we can stop the run and be damned good at it if we just apply ourselves,” Robinson said. “There are going to be games like (Minnesota’s) Adrian Peterson had on us (165 yards), yeah, that happens, but I think we’re pretty good.”

They’re better than good.

They’re No. 1.

Bet you didn’t see that coming.

Rushing yards allowed per game
1. Arizona (71.0)
2. Pittsburgh (71.2)
3. Tennessee (75.4)
4. Baltimore (76.0)
5. Miami (76.4)