Cardinals, Week 1 — What Repeats: Brissett, Fifth in Catchable Rate

Jacoby Brissett threw 37 passes at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, and the charters marked 31 of them catchable. That is 84 percent, the fifth-highest catchable rate in the league in Week 1, against a league median of 71. Across all of last season, on 488 charted throws, Brissett's own figure was 68 percent. 15 points better in one afternoon, and he did it against a Chargers defense that sent an extra rusher on 14 of Arizona's 39 dropbacks — 36 percent, against the 22 and a half percent this offense faced across all of 2025. The catchable balls did not all get caught: Arizona receivers dropped three of the 31, and this offense dropped under four percent of its catchable throws last year. What Brissett did not do is put the ball in danger. One interception-worthy throw on 37, under three percent, which ranks 20-first in a league where rank one is the most reckless, and the Chargers did not catch it. Two throwaways, and no sack charged to the quarterback.

He was not doing it by throwing into traffic, either. Six of the 37 were contested — a receiver and a defender arriving together — which is 16 percent, in line with the 18 percent Brissett himself ran last season.

Now the scheme, because two dials moved a long way from last year. Arizona called play-action on five of 39 dropbacks. That is 13 percent, thirtieth in the league in Week 1, with the league median at 21. Across all of 2025 this offense used play-action on 25 percent of its dropbacks, and Brissett himself threw a hundred and 19 of his 488 charted throws off it. On Sunday, four play-action throws, three completed for 19 yards; the other 33 throws produced 24 completions and 258 yards. The play fake was used about half as often, and the passing game did not miss it. The other dial went the other way: motion on 46 of 91 charted plays, 51 percent, tenth in the league, against 35 percent across last season. Two screens all game, five percent of dropbacks against eight last year, and no-huddle on six percent of snaps against 12. Less play fake, more pre-snap movement, more huddling.

The run game saw more resistance than it is used to. The Chargers put six or fewer defenders in the box on 17 of Arizona's 30 charted designed runs — 57 percent, twelfth-highest in the league in Week 1, against a median of 47. Across all of last season this offense saw a light box on 69 percent of its designed runs. Those 30 designed runs gained a hundred and eight yards, and the Recap already called the run game ordinary.

The defense is where the week gets interesting, because it did less and got more than last year's unit did. Arizona sent five or more pass rushers on six of the Chargers' 35 dropbacks — 17 percent, 20-third in the league in Week 1, with the league median at 27. Across all of last season this defense sent five or more on 27 and a half percent of the dropbacks it faced. It sent a charted blitzer on four dropbacks all afternoon, 11 percent, against 24 percent last year. Fewer rushers, and the Recap counted three sacks and a ninth-of-28 finish in expected points allowed per pass play among the teams in the books by Sunday evening. The ball charting says how. Seven of Justin Herbert's 27 throws were contested, 26 percent; across all of 2025, on 512 charted throws, Herbert's contested rate was 11 and a half percent. Arizona got a defender to the catch point on more than twice his usual share of throws while sending five or more on only six dropbacks. 19 of his 27 throws were charted catchable, 70 percent, about where he lived last year, and Chargers receivers dropped nothing. He put one ball up for grabs, and he threw one interception; the charting does not say whether they were the same throw. And there was one hole. The Chargers ran play-action on 11 of 35 dropbacks, 31 percent, eighth-highest in the league, and Herbert's seven play-action throws went six for a hundred yards. His other 20 throws went 11 for a hundred and nine. Nearly half of his 209 passing yards came on seven throws, and all seven came off play-action.

Against the run, the defense won while showing the softer look. Arizona had six or fewer in the box on 11 of the Chargers' 16 charted designed runs, 69 percent, against 58 percent last season. Those 16 designed runs gained 52 yards. Light boxes and 52 yards on 16 runs is the best version of a run defense, and the Recap had only one of the 28 defenses in the books by Sunday evening allowing less per rushing play.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Trey McBride led the team with 20 — nine catches on 13 targets for 95 and the touchdown. Brissett, 16 and a half, 27 of 37 for 277, one touchdown, no interceptions, +6 carries for 14. Jeremiyah Love, 12: 11 carries for 41 and a score, two catches for nine on four targets. Kendrick Bourne caught all eight of his targets for 75, 11 and a half. Michael Wilson, 8.1: five for 56 on seven targets. Tyler Allgeier, eight: 17 carries for 61 +2 catches for nine. Marvin Harrison Junior, 3.8, one catch on three targets, and the one catch was the 33-yarder. For the Chargers, Ladd McConkey five for 82 and the touchdown on seven targets, 16.7; Herbert 17 of 27 for 209, a touchdown and an interception, +5 carries for 29; David Njoku caught all five of his targets for 58 and Omarion Hampton ran 12 times for 43 and the touchdown, 8.3 apiece.

A word on what all of that is being compared to, because the name of this show makes a promise it cannot keep yet. Through Week 3 every comparison here is to last season — a different roster, a year older, in some places a different job — because there is no within-season baseline to measure against after one game. Last season tells you what is unusual about Sunday. It does not tell you what is true about this team. The version of this show that compares Arizona to its own recent weeks begins around Week 4, and until then we will say which comparison we are making every time.

So here is what goes in the notebook, in full, for a first-time listener. The Recap said this team went three and 14 last year with a defense that finished 20-seventh in expected points allowed per play. On Sunday that defense sent five or more rushers on 17 percent of dropbacks, contested 26 percent of Herbert's throws, showed a light box on 11 of the Chargers' 16 designed runs and gave up 52 yards on them. If a defense that rarely sends five and still gets to the catch point is real, it is the story of this season. The offense ran a play-action rate that was thirtieth in the league and a motion rate that was tenth, and its quarterback had the fifth-most catchable afternoon in football. The hole is play-action against the defense, six of seven for a hundred yards.

That's your Cardinals — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Cardinals show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._