The Cardinals lost a key defensive piece for the season when safety Tyrann Mathieu wrecked his knee, but the defense believed they could use it as motivation – and defensive tackle Cory Redding even said the unit would continue to have Honey Badger-like performances.
Then came Sunday, when the defense did things that hadn’t been done since before Mathieu was even born.
The Cardinals had nine sacks – their largest total in a game since they had 10 against the Eagles in 1986 – and returned two fumbles for touchdowns in a 38-8 pasting of the Green Bay Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium.