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The ceiling for the Cardinals offense is as high as the ones in coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Paradise Valley home. We all know that.

With Kingsbury’s creativity, and quarterback Kyler Murray’s ability to erase mistakes like they were written on a whiteboard, the Cardinals shouldn’t have problems scoring this season.

But can they stop anyone?

That was the biggest question entering the season, and the answer largely will determine if the Cardinals have a chance to make the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Two games in, the results are encouraging. The Cardinals aren’t the 1985 Bears, or even the 2020 Ravens, but their defense has been decent and a big reason why they are 2-0 for the first time since 2015.

That’s a dramatic improvement over last season when they ranked near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every statistical category and the major contributor to the Cardinals going 5-10-1.

In two games, including Sunday’s 30-15 victory over the Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium, we’ve seen improvement in the deficiencies of 2019.

Opponents haven’t thrived on third downs. They haven’t thrown passes over the Cardinals heads at will. Every tight end has not looked like a lock to be chosen to the Pro Bowl.

It’s early, sure, but in the past two years the Cardinals season has been over early, partly because they were terrible defensively.

“You can’t get complacent in this league,” said outside linebacker Devon Kennard. “But I like where we are.”

Imagine, a Cardinals defender warning about complacency. That hasn’t been a concern in Arizona in at least three years.

That shouldn’t be a problem now, either.

The Cardinals shut out Washington in the first half on Sunday, then gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. So in an important way, the game was a coach’s dream: a victory that contained plenty of reasons to keep everyone humble for at least another week.

“We need to keep chipping away at the little things,” said linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.

It would have been dereliction of duty for General Manager Steve Keim not to address the defense in the off-season. A year ago, the Cardinals were last in yards allowed, 30th in third down percentage, 28th in points allowed, 31st in touchdown passes allowed and last in the hearts of anyone who had ever purchased team merchandise.

Some fans called for coordinator Vance Joseph to be fired, but asking him to stop offenses with the talent assembled was like asking someone to build a car out of old Frigidaire parts.

This year, there are four new starters on defense, five if the offensive formation dictates first-round pick Isaiah Simmons makes an appearance.

It’s a far more versatile group than a year ago, which, granted, is a compliment delivered by Mr. Backhand. 

In Campbell, they have a linebacker who can defend tight ends. In Kennard, they have an outside linebacker who can play the run and occasionally sack the quarterback, as he did on Sunday. In lineman Jordan Phillips, they have a pass rush threat who can cause turnovers, as he did on Sunday with a strip sack.  

A year ago, it was rare to see a Cardinals defender knock away a pass intended for a tight end. Campbell did that twice on Sunday. “I think he’s one of the most undercover, under-the-radar players in the entire league,” Kingsbury said. “He all about football, all the time. He’s been a great fit here.”

A year ago, it was rare to see a Cardinal not named Chandler Jones strip the ball from a quarterback. Phillips did that at the Cardinals 9-yard line.

“The physicality has been great, the third downs have been great,” Kingsbury said after the game. “Those were really points of emphasis for our defense.

“Steve did a tremendous job of adding pieces who made plays today. You saw 59 (Campbell) and 97 (Phillips) all over that field. You see a lot of guys having major roles who weren’t here last year. I’m excited to see where that goes.”

The Cardinals had four sacks by four different players against Washington. Jones was not among them.

That was impressive. But what kept Sunday’s effort from being dominant was a fourth-quarter performance that was listless at times.

The Cardinals had no sacks in the second half. They gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They nearly allowed Washington to make a game of it.

But here’s the major difference from a year ago. It doesn’t take hallucinogens to envision this group improving. It’s OK if they don’t become the ’85 Bears, as long as they bear no resemblance to the ’19 Cardinals.

Reach Kent Somers at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @kentsomers. Hear Somers every Monday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.