Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Bilal Nichols said the defense is ‘hitting their mark’ at the right time as they get ready to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
“You can see the strides and chemistry between us. People don’t realize we had to build our chemistry up,” Nichols said on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Friday. “We didn’t get a chance to play a lot of ball together (in the preseason).
“I think now we are starting to really hit our mark and build our chemistry and be on the same page more consistently and that’s what we need going down this stretch that we are about to go down in the month of October and also following into the month of November.”
RELATED STORIES
The seventh-year tackle sees the Cardinals overcoming a 13-point deficit versus the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 6 as momentum that the team can carry into the rest of the season.
“I felt that was the biggest takeaway from the game for us is we can do anything as long as we lean on each other and we got each other’s back. That was a great game for us but once we came in and reviewed the film, we were on to the next one,” Nichols said.
The Packers (3-2) are coming off a 24-19 win against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 6, tied for third place in a competitive NFC North Division.
Even though the Packers have dealt with injuries earlier in the season such as quarterback Jordan Love missing two games with a knee injury, Nichols and the defense aren’t taking Green Bay lightly.
“They are still talented. That’s the one thing that jumps off the film when you watch them,” Nichols said. “Despite everything they’ve dealt with, they are still a talented bunch of dudes and they still have a lot of dudes that can go out there and make plays. For us, it’s realizing we know that they have the talent and we just need to go out there and execute and do exactly what we’ve been doing in practice and continue to work hard and just be on the same page and stay connected and everything will take care of itself.”
A key point for the Cardinals defense on Sunday will be stopping the Packers’ running game led by running back Josh Jacobs. Through five games, Jacobs has rushed for 402 yards and is averaging 4.5 yards a carry.
Nichols, who was a teammate with Jacobs when they were with the Las Vegas Raiders (2022-23) is excited to go up against him.
“Green Bay has always had a pretty good running game. With Josh there, it just maximizes it even more. I spent the last two seasons in Las Vegas with Josh so I’m familiar with his style. I’m excited to be able to go up against a (running) back like him. They have great coaching from top to bottom. This is what you want in these type of games. You want to be able to pull out a win some way, somehow on the road,” Nichols said.
Even though a win against the Packers would get the team to 3-3 and in a tie for first place in the NFC West, Nichols said it is no excuse to be complacent.
“We got to continue to get better each week. That’s not a sign for us to get complacent. It’s a sign for us to continue to get better and better, learn from our mistakes each week and figure out how we can be better the next week,” Nichols said.