(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(Page 3 of 3)
. As far as I’m concerned, they’re a mess.
Like I said, as long as Warner stays healthy, and plays like he did last year, the Cardinals will run away with the division. Even if Boldin gets traded, I don’t see anyone else as a serious contender.
Schedule
Okay, here is where things get tough for the Cardinals. Sure, they can win their division easily, but if they want any kind of home field advantage/bye week, they are going to have to beat some pretty good teams. Here is the schedule:
1 - Sun, Sep. 13 - San Francisco 4:15 PM
2 - Sun, Sep. 20 - at Jacksonville 1:00 PM
3 - Sun, Sep. 27 - Indianapolis 8:20 PM
4 - BYE
5 - Sun, Oct. 11 - Houston 4:15 PM
6 - Sun, Oct. 18 - at Seattle 4:05 PM
7 - Sun, Oct. 25 - at NY Giants 8:20 PM
8 - Sun, Nov. 1 - Carolina 4:15 PM
9 - Sun, Nov. 8 - at Chicago 1:00 PM
10 - Sun, Nov. 15 - Seattle 4:15 PM
11 - Sun, Nov. 22 - at St. Louis 4:05 PM
12 - Sun, Nov. 29 - at Tennessee 1:00 PM
13 - Sun, Dec. 6 - Minnesota 4:15 PM
14 - Mon, Dec. 14 - at San Francisco 8:30 PM
15 - Sun, Dec. 20 - at Detroit 1:00 PM
16 - Sun, Dec. 27 - St. Louis 4:05 PM
17 - Sun, Jan. 3 - Green Bay 4:15 PM
Conclusion
Over the past decade, the losers of the Super Bowl have missed the playoffs 80% of the time the following season. I expect the Cardinals to buck that trend and make it back to the postseason again this year.
However, when I look at the teams outside of their division, I think it’s going to be pretty rough for them to be a first or second seed in the playoffs. Assuming they win every game in their division, and they win at Jacksonville and Detroit (which I think they will), that still only puts them at 8-8.
The rest of the teams on their schedule are all very good teams, so I don’t know where the extra wins are going to come from. To get the first or second seed, let’s be generous and say they have to go 11-5.
It’s possible that they could beat Chicago, Minnesota, and Carolina. The good news is that only one of those three teams is an away game (Chicago). The bad news is that even those teams are going to be tough to beat.
Of the three, I think they have the best chance to beat Carolina. In a brilliant offseason move, Carolina hired Ron Meeks as their defensive coordinator. Now he can destroy their defense like he did the Colts. Don't be surprised if Warner puts up 56 points against the Panthers.
The Cardinals are good enough to make it back to the post season even with all the coaching changes. I do see them winning at least one game at home in the playoffs, but I don’t see them going to the Super Bowl again unless they can get better play out of their defensive line and establish a solid running game.
Don't forget to join my NFL blog at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106021079611
We're going to send you the most entertaining Arizona Cardinals articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
4 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete