Win over the Steelers: a model the Arizona Cardinals should imitate and the secret behind it revealed that….

TEMPE — For over fifteen years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been an exemplary team in terms of consistency.

Under head coach Mike Tomlin’s leadership since 2007, they have not finished below.500.The formula for success is simple: have a ground-and-pound attack that seeks contact and a tough defense to counter it.

However, Arizona—not Pittsburgh—used such qualities in the Steelers’ Week 13 loss to the Cardinals.

“To be honest, I knew that was how it was going to go from the team’s preparedness during the week and the leadership in the locker room when we boarded the plane on Friday. After the game, head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters, “Nobody was down.”

“They have faith in one another. We talked about looking to your left and right and not letting your teammates down, and we demonstrated that throughout the week, which is why we gave ourselves a chance to win tonight.

And it’s exactly the type of model Gannon and the rest of the Cardinals must continue to follow moving forward.

A look at Arizona’s dominant showing in the Steel City, by the numbers:

Cardinals’ red zone perfection

Last Wednesday, quarterback Kyler Murray emphasized the need of increasing red-zone effectiveness.

He and the offense as a whole supported the conversation on Sunday by scoring three touchdowns on three trips into the red zone and going two for two on goal-to-go opportunities.

Threat of a third-down

Arizona’s third-down conversion rate wasn’t 100% like their red-zone work, but when a team can convert double-digit third downs, good things tend to follow

On Sunday, the Cardinals had one of their greatest third-down conversion rates of the year, going 10-for-17 (59%) for a touchdown.

Arizona went 10-for-12 the remainder of the way after beginning the game 1-for-5 on third down, with the only conversion coming from a penalty.

In the first half, Murray found tight end Trey McBride for a five-yard touchdown; in the fourth quarter, James Conner bulldozed his way in from two yards out. The Cardinals also scored twice on third down.

Thanks to a strong defensive effort by the Cardinals, the host team was only 4-for-11 (36%) on third down, failing to replicate the success the Cardinals had in Pittsburgh.

Ground game balance

On Sunday, a determined effort was made to ignite Arizona’s run game behind Conner.

Conner returned to his old haunts in Pittsburgh, where he totaled 25 carries for 105 yards and two scores, giving offensive coach Drew Petzing a return to basics vibe.

After a poor offensive performance in a Week 12 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, the offensive coordinator expressed his regret for not giving the seasoned player more playing time. He did indeed succeed in that.

Conner wasn’t the only one who received more touches, though.

Murray ran nine times for 20 yards with his legs in the win against the Rams after only one run, but it was for a score.

By no means do those numbers leap off the page, yet there is a pattern.

The Cardinals have a 13-2 record when Murray has carried the ball at least nine times in his career. Arizona, on the other hand, is 14-31-1 when he is limited to eight rush attempts or less.

Defenses have to approach the Cardinals differently only because they fear that Murray may disappear from the game, particularly if he consistently receives touches.

Under center vs. shotgun

Since Murray returned to action, there’s been a heightened awareness around his ability to operate the offense under center.

After seeing a lopsided split in favor of working out of the shotgun formation — despite the success operating under center — I have Murray at 27 plays from under center compared to 34 out of the gun, excluding penalties and a trio of kneel downs.

Gameflow had an impact, but the offense made sure to keep the defense on its toes before turning to under center for the majority of Arizona’s final two drives, chewing up clock and picking up first downs in the process.

The offense paid it forward, driving 99 yards in the opposite direction until tight end Trey McBride’s five-yard touchdown toss sealed the drive.