Arizona Cardinals: Don't You Want Momentum?

After clinching the NFC West division with a 34-10 victory over the St. Louis Rams, the Arizona Cardinals are listless. They have lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 35-14 and to the New England Patriots, 47-7. Kurt Warner has been awful, going 35-for-63 with 300 yards and one touchdown in two games and the defense has been just awful. In the loss to Minnesota, the Cards allowed four touchdown passes to Tarvaris Jackson. Adrian Peterson also ran for 165 yards as the Vikes got 396 total yards of offense. In an embarrassing loss to the Pats, Matt Cassel torched the Cards for 345 yards and three touchdowns. Even Heath Evans made a 28-yard catch.

OK. I know you clinched. But going into the playoffs, don't you want some momentum. I don't care if you finish 14-2, but you NEED momentum going into the playoffs, especially if you don't have a bye. The Cardinals are already considered an underdog to go deep, and they are digging themselves a hole by struggling now. Since they play in a dismal NFC West (49ers: 6-9, Seahawks: 4-11 and Rams: 2-13), there is no chance the Cardinals will lose first place. But, I don't care about winning or losing the division. They need momentum. If the playoffs started today, Arizona would play Atlanta, who at this rate, would crush Kurt Warner and the Cards.

Warner at times has looked like an MVP. But it's times like these his age shows. Luckily, the Cards play in a HORRIBLE division and can fall without losing too much ground. But, finishing 8-8 and making the playoffs must say something about your division—and your team. The defense hasn't been very good all season, but it's been at rock bottom the last four weeks. The team has won just one of those games, against the 2-13 Rams, and in the three losses: the Cardinals average out to a 43-13 loss! The defense has allowed totals of 48, 35 and 47 in losses. And with the absent Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower in the backfield, things are looking dark for Arizona.

It's not like Arizona was a Super Bowl contender before. But when they were 6-3, things were looking up for them, and if they could get hot at the right time, who knows? But even if they absolutely demolish Seattle on Sunday, it's not considered getting hot if you beat a 4-11 team on the last game of the season. Honestly, I don't see them getting past the first round, regardless of opponent. Whether it be Dallas, Atlanta or Tampa Bay. There aren't a lot of teams they could beat, much less teams in the thick of the playoff race. The Cardinals offense, like it always has been, is dangerous. They have Kurt Warner (4320 yards, 26 TD's, 13 INT's) under center and Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin catching passes (a combined 180 receptions for 2339 yards and 21 touchdowns).

But, like they say, "Defense wins championships." The phrase going on right now in Arizona is:  "An occasional defensive play would be nice." That's how bad it is the last two games. Tarvaris Jackson, who hadn't played until Week 14, threw four touchdowns against Arizona on Week 15. Playoff teams like Baltimore, Tennessee, Miami, New England, Carolina, New York (NFC), Atlanta, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Denver and Pittsburgh are trying to rack up the wins to get confidence going into what is shaping up to be a thrilling offseason. While Warner is no stranger to the playoffs (Super Bowl XXXIV MVP), he is a stranger to having to carry the team on his shoulders. With the Rams, he had a great running back behind him in Marshall Faulk and had a defense that could make plays.

In Arizona, he'll have to carry the team on his shoulders. And the way it's going, it won't be enough to win another game. Kurt Warner can pass with accuracy and power, but like Jim Hasslett said, "I can't tackle." That's what Kurt Warner must be thinking right now. What I was wondering watching the Cardinals face the Patriots in a game, if you want to call it that, is "Why is this game still on TV?" The Cardinals epitomize why the playoff system in the NFL is shot. Look what teams with momentum have done in the past. Last year, the Giants ended on fire. We all know how that fairytale ended.

The Cardinals look like the opposite of the Giants. They have no support around Warner, like the Giants do for Manning. The Giants have a dominant defense, the Cardinals defense is embarrassing. The Giants have the best backfield in the NFL, the Cardinals have two running backs absent recently. And you thought the teams who clinched learned from the New York Giants experience last season. No.

What's wrong with getting hot at the right time?