On one hand, the team still has many of the key cogs remaining from that impressive 2015 team, including quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back David Johnson, cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu.
On the other, many of those players were healthy last season and they couldn’t do enough to help the team muster a serious run at the postseason. Fitzgerald and Palmer both considered retirement this offseason and the Cardinals’ coach, Bruce Arians, is also nearing the end of the road, so this has the feel of a possible final stand for this core.
The Cardinals are about in the middle of the pack when it comes to the league odds to win the Super Bowl, which makes sense. This team’s window for contention might be over, but there is the slim chance it comes together one more time.
Super Bowl 52 Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +310
Dallas Cowboys +1000
Seattle Seahawks +1100
Green Bay Packers +1200
Pittsburgh Steelers +1300
Atlanta Falcons +1500
Oakland Raiders +1500
Kansas City Chiefs +2000
Denver Broncos +2500
New York Giants +2500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2800
Carolina Panthers +3000
Houston Texans +3000
Arizona Cardinals +3500
Minnesota Vikings +3500
Indianapolis Colts +4000
Tennessee Titans +4000
Baltimore Ravens +4500
Philadelphia Eagles +5000
New Orleans Saints +5000
Cincinnati Bengals +5500
Los Angeles Chargers +6500
Miami Dolphins +6500
Detroit Lions +6500
Washington Redskins +6500
Jacksonville Jaguars +8000
Buffalo Bills +9000
Chicago Bears +12500
Los Angeles Rams +15000
San Francisco 49ers +30000
Cleveland Browns +30000
New York Jets +30000
Key Factors For Winning the Super Bowl
Get The Passing Attack Back On Track – The Cardinals were one of the most explosive aerial teams in the NFL in 2015 but regressed last season. Palmer didn’t play as well, but there were also big issues on the offensive line and at receiver. Injuries hit the line hard, as left guard Evan Mathis, left tackle Jared Veldheer and right tackle D.J. Humphries also missed multiple games. Wide receiver Michael Floyd was inconsistent before getting released following a DUI arrest, and John Brown was bogged down by health issues throughout the season. Floyd is gone, so Brown, Fitzgerald, J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown will be the main targets.
Keep Tyrann Mathieu Healthy -- The former All-Pro struggled in 2016 while returning from a torn ACL he suffered late in 2015. The undersized safety is a big-time playmaker, and his ability to create turnovers was sorely lacking last year. The Cardinals lost five defensive starters to free agency and Mathieu needs to be at the top of his game to help make up for those losses. Mathieu teams with cornerback Patrick Peterson as one of the NFL’s best secondary duos when healthy. He has yet to play a full season but hopes to put the injury-prone label behind him with 16 regular season games of stellar play.
Feed David Johnson -- The Cardinals have one of the strongest running backs in the NFL. Johnson is still young and is hoping to become only the third player to ever rush for 1,000 yards and total 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. He got close a year ago, but defenses figure to key on him more than ever in 2017. The Cardinals don’t figure to be as explosive through the air as they were two seasons ago, so Johnson will need to pick up the slack by regularly churning out yards on the ground. A good rushing attack will also make it easier for play-action to succeed.
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