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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Tyrann Mathieu was counting in his head. Did the Arizona Cardinals allow the Philadelphia Eagles' tight ends to catch two touchdowns last season? Or three? At first he was sure of two because he allowed them in the Eagles’ 24-21 win in Week 13 last season. Then he settled on three.  The way Arizona defended tight ends last season, a higher guess was always the safer guess.
That’s not the case this season. The Cardinals figured out why tight ends -- including Philadelphia’s Brent Celek and Zach Ertz -- were a prickly thorn in their side all of 2013, and they’ve worked to correct it. Allowing 17 of their 29 passing touchdowns to be caught by tight ends last season would be reason to focus on figuring out a solution. And fast. Losing to Philadelphia a season ago helped keep the Cardinals out of the postseaosn. They don't want the Eagles to bite them again. “Obviously, that was a point of emphasis throughout the offseason of not letting tight ends kill us,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “That was how we were able to not win those early games early on in the season. Dating back to the Philly game … losing that game probably was the game that kept us out of the playoffs. “Now, this year, I believe we have tight ends much more under control than we did last year.” It helped that Arizona drafted 6-foot-1 safety Deone Bucannon in May. His size, speed and length has been one of the reasons the Cardinals have given up just three touchdowns and 414 yards on 35 receptions to tight ends this season, compared to six scores, and 653 yards on 42 catches last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. It also helps that the Cardinals understand where to be on the field this season, Peterson said. Mathieu, who cited poor technique for why he gave up the two touchdowns in 2013, said Arizona can match up better this season, especially in nickel packages. He added that playing with better fundamentals has been the main difference. “I think last year guys just weren’t getting to the flat, so a tight end would catch a ball in the flat and run for 30 yards,” Mathieu said. “I think we’re playing better, disciplined football and not trying to do too much.” Even during presnap alignments, Arizona has been deterring offenses from looking to their tight ends, with the position getting targeted 12 fewer times this season than last. Even when they're being targeted, opposing tight ends have accounted for 23 first downs this year compared to 30 in 2013. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said he hasn’t noticed tight ends hurting Arizona this season. It’s because they haven’t. But Arizona also hasn’t faced the onslaught of talent this year season came along in the first six weeks last season: St. Louis’ Jared Cook in Week 1, Detroit’s Brandon Pettigrew in Week 2, New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham and Ben Watson in Week 3, Carolina’s Greg Olsen in Week 5, and San Francisco’s Vernon Davis in Week 6. The Cardinals faced San Diego’s Antonio Gates in this season's opener, the New York Giants’ Larry Donnell in Week 2 and Denver’s Julius Thomas in Week 5. That group pales in comparison to last season's lineup. Arizona was spared another meeting against Davis, who was inactive for Arizona’s Week 3 game against San Francisco. This week, however, the Cardinals will again face the Celek-Ertz combination, which combined for three touchdowns last season. Arizona has spent months preparing for a challenge like this and the Cardinals understand the stakes. “We’re in a standpoint where we just got to be more aware,” Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said. “They have a lot more weapons than the tight ends so it’s got to be a cat and mouse game.”
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