It’s not a stretch to think the Arizona Cardinals can return to their 2015 form when they went 13-3 and advanced to the NFC Championship. There was a setback last year when the Cards were expected to carry over that momentum, but the offense fell hard, the defense had to deal with injuries and special teams proved costly. The championship window might be closing on the Cards, but Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are back to give it one more try. As long as the window isn’t sealed shut, there’s still a chance the Cards can fly through it.
NFC Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Seahawks +444
Green Bay Packers +460
Atlanta Falcons +472
Dallas Cowboys +655
New York Giants +840
Carolina Panthers +1350
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1650
Philadelphia Eagles +1700
Minnesota Vikings +1800
Arizona Cardinals +1853
New Orleans Saints +2405
Detroit Lions +2900
Washington Redskins +3000
Chicago Bears +7500
Los Angeles Rams +8000
San Francisco 49ers +8500
Key Players for Winning the NFC
Carson Palmer – The Cards possessed a top-10 offense last season, but compared to what the unit did in 2015 it certainly seemed like a deeper fall. Palmer was at the front of the dropoff. His passing yards, touchdowns and rating were all down while his interceptions and sacks taken took a significant leap. It might look like the end finally arrived for Palmer, who enters his 14th season in 2017. But Bruce Arians took some of the blame for the weakened numbers last season. Palmer was asked to stand in the pocket on passing downs and the offensive line failed to hold up. Still, Palmer threw for 4,233 yards and 26 touchdowns. There will be a change to the scheme this year. Palmer won’t be asked to chuck the ball downfield, which will limit the sacks and give David Johnson the opportunity to work more. The receiving corps is solid, led by Larry Fitzgerald, and if the line doesn’t get ravaged by injuries, we could see numbers closer to what we saw in 2015.
David Johnson – He was the best all-purpose back in the NFL last season and will be a key element for the team’s success on that side of the football. Johnson led the league with 2,118 yards from scrimmage and proved to be such a threat out of the backfield that he placed second on the team with 80 catches. The big plays were lacking in the run game even though Johnson rushed for 1,239 yards. He averaged just 4.3 per carry. There were some problems with injuries and inconsistent play up front, but the Cards still averaged 367 yards per game. Arians wants his third-year back to get 30 touches a game, which could take a toll as the season progresses, so help from backup Chris Johnson is critical. But the Cards will rely on David Johnson to make the offense work.
Tyrann Mathieu – The Cards defense lost several starters from last season, including safety Tony Jefferson. But that position is the least of the team’s concerns now that Mathieu has become accustomed to the position. The Honey Badger was moved to free safety last season as a way to help him overcome a knee injury he sustained late in 2015. He had never played free safety or even practiced at the position. Now he’s ready to own it. Not only is Mathieu healthy entering the season, he’s learning more about his new position and becoming a leader in the secondary.
Phil Dawson – Special teams killed the Cards last season and the kicking game cost them several victories. The team parted ways with Chandler Catanzaro and inked veteran Dawson to hopefully take care of those issues. The Cards lost the opener last season when Catanzaro missed a late field goal. He also missed an attempt in overtime of an eventual tie game. After making 90 percent of his field goal tries in 2015, Catanzaro saw his success rate drop to 75 percent last season. So in steps Dawson, who converted 85.7 percent of his field goal attempts last season and has banged home 84.5 percent of his career tries. At 42 the leg may not be as strong, but the tries missed by Catanzaro came from inside 50 yards.
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