ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals tried their very best to downplay a problem that now is rearing its ugly head.

The Cardinals enter Week 8 ranked last in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns on just 42.86% of opportunities. Arizona has managed to string together long drives, though the difference between three points and seven in the NFL very much can be the difference between wins and losses in a league where over 60% of games come down to one possession.

After going 0-5 in the red zone in their Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions, LaFleur said the Cardinals wouldn't overreact to one bad week — insisting Arizona had been fine in the red zone previously and the team just needed better coaching and execution.

Week 7 brought another tough week inside the 20s, as the Cardinals went 1-5 in the red zone against the Denver Broncos. Their overall 1-10 outing through the last two games has now tanked Arizona's stats to the bottom of the league, and the Cardinals — whether they want to admit it or not — officially have a problem.

“No, I don’t think it’s a total blowup because up until two weeks ago we were top 10 in goal-to-goal situations. I think we were 13th overall anytime inside the 20, now we’re dead last for obvious reasons," LaFleur told reporters ahead of Week 8.

Data shows the Cardinals were 16th in red zone efficiency at a 61% clip in Weeks 1-5. In the season's totality, Arizona's goal-to-go touchdown percentage (56%) and inside the ten-yard line touchdown percentage (53%) both are ranked second-to-last among NFL teams.

Alarm bells were officially sounded when the Cardinals were at Denver's one-yard line in Week 7, down by 14 with just under two minutes left. Arizona, admittedly altering their approach in hopes to save some clock, struck out on all four attempts to get in the end zone.

"Once we kind of got going a little bit and we were moving it, we weren’t finishing it. Against good teams  — we lucked out the week before because our defense played incredible. We hit six kicks, but you can’t do that every week (and) we know that," LaFleur continued on the red zone struggles.

"It’s like ‘Guys, we’re down there.’ It’s not like we’re not moving the football, but we have to finish. Again, I’ll look in the mirror first and say it starts with me.”

Play-calling changes when you get in the red zone. The field shrinks, and numerous plays/concepts you could normally run are thrown out the window. This places a greater emphasis on not only choosing the right plays, but also execution — which hasn't exactly been a calling card for Arizona's offense to begin the season.

"It’s always going to start with me and the play design. One, the play design and the clarity you’re providing to the guys. Then two, when you’re calling it. It’s always going to start with me," LaFleur said last week. "Then after that, the guys have to go execute it. Sometimes you call the right one and it’s not executed. Sometimes you call the wrong one and guys make a play, but that’ll always start with me.”

It's not as if the Cardinals' offense has been stagnant. They lead the NFL in ten-play drives and are top five in time of possession. They can clearly move the ball.

Yet when it counts, for whatever reason, the Cardinals can't convert field goals into touchdowns. Arizona's strong defensive performance against the Rams was an obvious outlier, one LaFleur and the offensive staff clearly can't rely on.

The Cardinals do know they have a massive problem on their hands, a complex dynamic that doesn't have an easy solution.