The Arizona Cardinals improved to 8-1 with a 31-14 win over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday to maintain their two-game lead atop the NFC West. The Cardinals seem poised to make the playoffs and perhaps even win the toughest division in football, and yet the experts still wonder whether or not this team has a chance to make any noise in the postseason. Arizona has caught the entire league by storm with their amazing start, but this is not a team built for a long playoff journey – if they even get there.
1. Carson Palmer’s Injury
Only two days after signing a three-year, $50-million extension, Carson Palmer suffered a brutal knee injury that will cost him the rest of the season. Palmer is not an elite quarterback but he is a solid veteran starter with plenty of experience and a big arm to make all of the throws.
The timing of the injury makes it that much more devastating and the Cardinals will have a tough time finding another veteran arm to bring in if they choose to do so. If not, then Arizona will head to the postseason with journeyman Drew Stanton under center as they go up against the best from the NFC. Stanton is regarded as nothing more than a stopgap backup and it’s hard to imagine him leading Arizona to wins in the playoffs.
2. Opponents Will Be Prepared
One underrated aspect of the Cardinals success to this point is the fact that they are the hunters rather than the hunted. Head coach Bruce Arians has proven that he is one of the league’s most innovative offensive minds and he has a defensive coordinator in Todd Bowles that has already earned himself a job as a head coach somewhere in this league.
The Arizona coaching staff has done an excellent job of preparing for each opponent and creating the perfect plan for success. However, this team has played the underdog card during the Arians era but that’s over. They’re the top dog and a lot of teams will be gunning for them down the stretch.
That’s particularly important when you look at their upcoming schedule. In Week 11, the Cardinals are facing the No. 2 team in the NFC, the Detroit Lions. The Lions can claim the top spot with a win. In Week 12, the Cardinals visit the Seattle Seahawks. A win by the Seahawks in that spot could bump the Cardinals out of first in the NFC West – assuming the Cardinals lose to Detroit next week. Then they still have their second meeting with the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers in Weeks 16 and 17.
They’re going to be up against a lot of teams that are chasing them and none of those opponents will take this Cardinals team lightly.
3. They Aren’t As Good As Their Record Indicates
It’s important to note that even though they have secured wins on a weekly basis the Cardinals aren’t necessarily as good as their record indicates. Yes, the offense just lost its starting quarterback but they rank 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per game. As for the passing game, its ranked 13th and will probably slip with Stanton under center. Despite the defense being strong from a points-per-game perspective, Arizona’s defense ranks 30th in the NFL against the pass giving up more than 270 yards per game through the air.
The Cardinals plus-53 point differential is the third-worst ever for a team that has eight or more wins in its first nine games and while their fans have to be satisfied with the fact that they are finding ways to win games, those statistics will start to matter down the stretch and in the postseason when the margin for error becomes that much slimmer.
