Arizona
Top New York Jets Defensive Stars to Watch Against Arizona Cardinals
The New York Jets hope to build on one of their best defensive performances of the season when they face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. on CBS.
New York (3-6) sacked Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud eight times last Thursday in their 21-13 victory. The Jets hadn’t posted a total like that all season. New York did allow 106 rushing yards to Joe Mixon and another 59 rushing yards to Stroud. So, the run defense still isn’t quite where New York wants it to be.
But the pass rush went to another level last week, and the Jets hope to keep that moving on Sunday.
The Cardinals (5-4) are coming off one of their best defensive performances of the year so far after holding Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams without a touchdown pass and limiting running back D’Andre Swift to just 51 yards.
That’s not a big surprise considering Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, in his second season, was formerly a defensive coordinator.
Here are the defensive players to watch for both teams entering the game.
DE Micheal Clemons
New York needed the kind of game it got out of Clemons last Thursday. He sacked Stroud twice (linebacker Jamien Sherwood did as well). Those were Clemons’ first sacks since Oct. 6 in London and gave him 4.5 sacks for the season. The Jets need him to get to the quarterback more consistently the second half of the season.
DT Quinnen Williams
After a slow start to the season, Williams is starting to pick up steam. He had 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble against Houston last week. But take a deeper dive and you’ll see that he’s sacked the quarterback four times in the last three games. That’s four of his five sacks to this point in the season.
LB Jamien Sherwood
As noted earlier, Sherwood sacked the quarterback twice last Thursday. Those were his first two sacks of the season. But the Jets pay him to tackle and he’s been doing that a lot this season. His 80 tackles lead his closest teammate by 16 (Quincy Williams has 64) and he’s also defended a pass. Every week, Sherwood steps up and produces.
S Budda Baker
Speaking of tackling machines, Baker is having an incredible season for the Cardinals. He has a team-leading 90 tackles (including 58 solo shots), with four tackles for loss and two passes defended. Arizona would love to see him get an interception, but then again, he’s doing just about everything else.
DT Dante Stills
The Cardinals don’t have a high-octane pass rush and made a deal earlier this week to get some depth for the edge. But Stills has been their most consistent producer up front, as he leads the team with 3.5 sacks. He also has 26 tackles, three tackles for loss and has forced a fumble in eight games.
LB Zaven Collins
Collins gives the Cardinals a little bit of everything from the second level of their defense. He has 37 tackles, with 22 solo stops. He has three sacks, which is just behind Stills for the team lead. He also has five tackles for loss. He’ll be among one of the most productive defensive players on the field on Sunday.
TEMPE, AZ — The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating a fiery crash on the Loop 202 in Tempe on Sunday evening.
Around 5:30 p.m., DPS officials say they were called to the freeway just west of McClintock Drive for an “unknown injury collision.”
The Arizona Department of Transportation confirmed that at least one vehicle had caught fire. The westbound lanes of the freeway have been closed because of the crash.
The smoke was also impacting eastbound Loop 202 traffic.
It’s not yet clear if anyone was hurt in the crash and how severe the injuries are.
How long the traffic restrictions in the area will last is not yet known.
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ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals will be one of the first teams to hit training camp this summer.
Arizona’s July 22 report date is among the earliest in the league thanks to their participation in the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game to begin preseason festivities.
Eyes and ears are curious to see what Mike LaFleur’s first training camp in the desert looks and sounds like. With four preseason games and numerous camp practices, Arizona will begin the process of trimming their roster down to 53 players ahead of the regular season.
These four Cardinals could find themselves on the chopping block:
RB Trey Benson
Benson’s had arguably the worst offseason of any returning veteran in Arizona, as numerous faces have arrived to his position room to ultimately push him down the depth chart.
Benson’s play in the prior two seasons leading up to the 2026 offseason was shaky at best. Injuries and erratic play in the backfield offset any flashes of potential the Florida State product has had.
Many thought Benson may have been the potential lead back this season, though after James Conner restructured his deal, Tyler Allgeier signed in free agency and Jeremiyah Love was drafted with the third overall pick — Benson’s playing time has been massively dwindled.
If the Cardinals keep four running backs, Benson is in line to compete with Bam Knight for the final spot.
CB Kei’Trel Clark
I’ve often included Max Melton’s name in similar lists, and while there’s no doubting the pressure facing Arizona’s former second-round pick, Melton’s spot on the roster feels safe.
Kei’Trel Clark, on the other hand, is a different discussion.
Clark started seven games his rookie season but has combined for just two starts in the last two years after. The Cardinals have continuously poured resources into the cornerback room, and Clark’s hung around.
Injuries to Starling Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting helped solidify Clark’s roster spot last season, yet with both working their way back to full health (on top of Garrett Williams potentially being ready for Week 1), the Cardinals will have a crowded depth chart.
Clark will need to have a big training camp and leapfrog somebody ahead of him to retain his roster spot.
QB Kedon Slovis
This is more circumstantial than regarding talent.
Slovis moves into training camp as the heavy favorite to get the axe with Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck over him on the projected depth chart.
Brissett has (reportedly) been told by Arizona he’s the starter. Minshew has more guaranteed money than Brissett on his contract and Beck is a third-round pick.
None of the three quarterbacks are going to be cut, leaving Slovis with two options: Turn into the greatest quarterback we’ve seen or be an unfortunate cut candidate.
Slovis probably won’t make his way back to the desert on the practice squad, either — especially if Arizona indeed keeps three active quarterbacks on the roster.
Was Slovis ever going to start for the Cardinals? No. However, he’s on the chopping block merely because of the new faces added this offseason.
Charge it to the game.
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GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Multiple people have been shot at a popular entertainment spot in Glendale, according to officials with the city’s police department. No suspect or suspects have been caught, police said.
Officers responded to the Westgate Entertainment District, near Glendale and 91st avenues, around 9 p.m. for reports of a shooting.
Police said they believe the injuries are not life-threatening.
Police said the individuals involved may have known one another and this was an isolated incident. No other information was given.
This is a developing story.
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