Arizona’s streak of three straight seasons with double-digit wins came to a halt in 2016, but the Cardinals have the talent to be a playoff team this season. Last year, the team was a little unfortunate to finish at 7-9 with a point differential of +56 on the season. Improvement should be in the cards in 2017, but will it be enough to win a division crown?
NFC West Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Seahawks -355
Arizona Cardinals +295
Los Angeles Rams +1400
San Francisco 49ers +5000
Why the Arizona Cardinals Will Win the NFC West
David Johnson might be the most underrated running back in football. Although he put up numbers that were just as good, if not better, than Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott, Johnson didn’t get near the publicity.
Johnson is leading the vanguard for the new type of running back in this league. He has the size to run between the tackles and the mobility to catch passes on the perimeter and make tacklers miss. Johnson was targeted 120 times by Carson Palmer last season and he ended up with the second-most receiving yards on the team.
He should be able to put up even better numbers as a running back this season. His offensive line was banged up for most of last year and he will improve upon his 4.2 yards per carry if they can stay healthy. The keys up front are Mike Iupati and AJ Shipley. Iupati played through a number of injuries last season that limited his effectiveness, while Shipley was the glue that held the patchwork line together.
The Cardinals still have one of the most talented receivers in the league too in Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz may be getting older and isn’t the downfield threat he used to be, but can still make the tough grab over the middle. He has the surest hands in the NFL with only 27 dropped passes in his entire 13-year career.
A shutdown cornerback is a luxury few teams have in this pass-happy league, and the Cardinals are one of those fortunate teams. Patrick Peterson has been one of the best at locking down opposing receivers since coming into the league and leads a secondary that is full of talent. Budda Baker joins Tyrann Mathieu and Antoine Bethea as the Cardinals’ newest playmaking safety and will punish receivers going over the middle.
This division has been all about the Cardinals and the Seahawks since Jim Harbaugh left and there’s no reason to think one of these two teams won’t win the division again this year. These two sides have virtually split their regular season showdowns over the past four seasons, but Arizona has an edge this year by means of a slightly easier schedule. Whereas the Seahawks must face Atlanta and Green Bay because they won the division in 2016, the Cardinals get to play the Buccaneers and the Lions.
Why the Arizona Cardinals Won't Win the NFC West
Carson Palmer is starting to show his age. Palmer had a noticeable dip in his numbers last season and had a few dreadful performances that led to Cardinals losses. He is fine when he has time and a clear pocket, but if he is rushed or feels a defender close by, mistakes are made.
The lack of a second receiver alongside Fitzgerald really hurt this team last season. Neither John Brown or JJ Nelson could make opposing teams pay for focusing their coverage on Fitz. Those problems will continue as Brown has been banged up throughout training camp and rookie Chad Williams has not impressed the coaching staff.
Losing Calais Campbell to Jacksonville in free agency this offseason hurts. Campbell was by far the best defensive lineman on the roster and made everyone else’s job easier by drawing constant double teams. This unit is going to struggle in both phases of the game without him in the lineup and will need some of their recent draft picks to step up.
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