Cardinals Over / Under Season Wins
Being such a talented team, boy are the Arizona Cardinals cursed that they play in the NFC West division. Going to war against the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, perennial NFC contender San Francisco 49ers and the rapidly-congealing St. Louis Rams can’t be much fun.
Over Under Lines
- ARIZONA CARDINALS
- Head Coach: Bruce Arians
- 2013 Record: 10-6
- Wins Over/Under: O 7.5 (-150), U 7.5 (+120)
What stood out particularly for the Cards last season was their outstanding defense. They ranked sixth in total “D” last year, including first in rush defense and allowing just 20.3 points per contest.
Every positional spot on the defense has a dynamic playmaker. Defensive end Calais Campbell is always flying under the radar, big things are expected from 2013 second-round LB Kevin Minter and Arizona’s secondary is elite.
Cornerbacks Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie and safety Tyrann Mathieu are enough to make any opposing QB apprehensive.
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Quarterback Carson Palmer, despite being old (34) and never really living up to that one outstanding 2006 campaign with Cincinnati, can still be effective. He’ll throw his INTs, but he throws a nice deep ball – a pre-requisite for a Bruce Arians-directed offense.
Palmer’s got targets, too. Larry Fitzgerald, though aging, is still an excellent veteran. His running mate Michael Floyd is ready to take a big leap in his second season. Offseason acquisition WR Ted Ginn provides depth and speed. Tight end John Carlson, a fellow offseason grab that comes over from Minnesota, will further buttress the passing attack.
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The team must deal with the retirement of RB Rashard Mendenhall – last year’s leading rusher – but the Cardinals are well-equipped to do so thanks to Andre Ellington. The former Clemson product racked up 652 yards at 5.5 yards per carry last year and he’s poised to add to that considerably.
Arizona should also have a great special teams unit, due to directional punting specialist Dave Zastudil, an excellent gunner in Justin Bethel and the electricity of newcomer Ginn.
Upon analysis of the Cardinals, you see all these pieces of good news. Then you remember they play in the NFC West. The Seahawks and the Niners are the two best teams in the entire league; Arizona must play four of its 16 games versus those daunting opponents.
There’s also the Rams, who should be a lot better, especially if Sam Bradford can emerge as the answer under center. St. Louis has been stockpiling high picks for several years after the Robert Griffin III trade with Washington; their draft War Room over the past few years has been successful picking more hits than misses.
The Cards also get road games at Denver and Dallas, and a tricky slip-up Monday night game against San Diego to start the season on Sept. 8. All this makes it tricky to predict Arizona’s win total. Based on roster strength alone, this is a double-digit win team, but best laid plans often go awry – especially in the wild, wild West.
2014 Win Prediction: 9 wins (9-7 record)
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