Shock on the Field: Which 2 Packers Defenders Struggled Against the Cardinals?

Ever notice how a defense can look like a fortress one week and a leaky sieve the next? That’s the Green Bay Packers’ defense for you this season — a total roller coaster ride. After shutting down the Lions and Commanders back-to-back, they’ve since stumbled in ways that make you scratch your head. Take their Week 7 win against the Cardinals: sure, they eked out a 27-23 victory, but the numbers lurking behind the scenes tell a thornier tale. When Jacoby Brissett threw at Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs, these supposed top cornerbacks were, well, anything but impenetrable — their passer ratings soared past 100, which is far from what you want from your best defenders. So here’s the million-dollar question: can this defense snap out of its funk before the Eagles swoop in next month — or will this patchy performance leave Jordan Love and the offense carrying an unbearable load? Sit tight — this saga’s just heating up.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 19: Micah Parsons #1 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a sack with Warren Brinson #91 and Rashan Gary #52 during the second quarter of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 27-23. — (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Green Bay Packers‘ defense has been something of a roller coaster after the first two games of the season.

Shutting down the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders in consecutive weeks was an impressive feat, but they haven’t quite recaptured that magic over the past several weeks.

They’ve done enough to win most of these games, including their Week 7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, but it hasn’t been as pretty as they would have liked.

For instance, as analyst Wendell Ferreira noted on X, when Keisean Nixon was targeted in this game, Jacoby Brissett had a 116.7 passer rating, and had a 109.7 passer rating when Nate Hobbs was targeted.

Passer rating when targeted vs. Cardinals:

Keisean Nixon 116.7
Nate Hobbs 109.7

Not ideal for your top 2 CBs.

— Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp) October 19, 2025

This isn’t great, considering they are said to be the Packers’ top two cornerbacks.

If these tendencies continue, especially against teams that are much better than the Cardinals, it will be that much more difficult for Jordan Love and the offense to overcome challenges.

Love has played MVP-like football this year, which was put on full display in the fourth quarter of this game, but he can only do so much.

This defense has been among the best in the league when they’re playing up to their standards, but fans haven’t seen that over the past few weeks.

It will be interesting to see if they can get it together over the next few weeks, as the Philadelphia Eagles are looming on the schedule in November and could be a strong litmus test for this team and their ability to defeat contenders.

The post 2 Packers Defenders Had Disappointing Stats Against Cardinals appeared first on The Cold Wire.