Kliff Kingsbury is in a weird position. Although the Arizona Cardinals have improved by multiple wins in each of his first three seasons at the helm, he is on something of a hotseat entering the 2022 season. The Cardinals won three games the year before he was hired, and they went 5-10-1 in 2019, 8-8 in 2020, and 11-6 in 2021, so you would think his job is safe for the foreseeable future with that kind of improvement. However, Arizona lost four of its last five games to close out 2021 and bad losses to Detroit and Seattle cost the Cardinals the division title. Kingsbury has yet to have an offense finish in the top ten in scoring, and the NFC West has two superb defenses for the Cardinals to contend with once again.
Arizona Cardinals Season Win Total
Over 8.5 Wins -109
Under 8.5 Wins -111
2022 Arizona Cardinals Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | Vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2 | @ Las Vegas Raiders |
| 3 | Vs. Los Angeles Rams |
| 4 | @ Carolina Panthers |
| 5 | Vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| 6 | @ Seattle Seahawks |
| 7 | Vs. New Orleans Saints |
| 8 | @ Minnesota Vikings |
| 9 | Vs. Seattle Seahawks |
| 10 | @ Los Angeles Rams |
| 11 | Vs. San Francisco 49ers* (in Mexico City) |
| 12 | Vs. Los Angeles Chargers |
| 13 | BYE WEEK |
| 14 | Vs. New England Patriots |
| 15 | @ Denver Broncos |
| 16 | Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 17 | @ Atlanta Falcons |
| 18 | @ San Francisco 49ers |
Arizona Cardinals Offense
Kyler Murray has lived up to the billing as a No. 1 overall pick. Kingsbury jumped at the opportunity to take Murray three years ago, and Murray has been a fringe top ten quarterback through his first three seasons in the league. However, the year-to-year growth and improvement hasn’t quite been what this franchise was looking for as his numbers through his first three seasons look very similar. Additionally, Murray’s performance has tailed off over the second half of the season in three straight seasons, as he is no longer the same mobile threat. That has led to the Cardinals exercising their fifth-year option on Murray, but they have yet to sign him to a franchise deal.
This ground game won’t be the same without Chase Edmonds. While James Conner was a solid fantasy running back with 15 rushing touchdowns, he finished with just 752 yards and averaged 3.7 YPC. Darrel Williams was signed from Kansas City to help alleviate this issue, and he should see a lot of touches out of the backfield.
Arizona has one of the most exciting sets of receivers in the NFL. Although superstar DeAndre Hopkins will be suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season, Murray has no shortage of standout players to throw to in the passing game. The Cardinals traded for Baltimore’s Marquise Brown, and A.J. Green is still a solid veteran target. Rondale Moore showed a lot of potential as a rookie, and Zach Ertz is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. They also used their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on John Mackey Award winner Trey McBride as Ertz is now in his 10th season in the league.
Arizona Cardinals Defense
The Cardinals have made steps to try to improve their defense every year. Arizona ranked dead last in the league in total defense in 2019, but this unit has shown growth in each of the last two seasons and nearly finished as a top ten unit in 2021.
Isaiah Simmons made more of an impact in his second season in the NFL. Simmons was a top ten pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he was heralded for his versatility coming out of Clemson. He didn’t post big sack numbers, but he forced a lot of fumbles and was great in coverage while racking up over 100 tackles. Unfortunately, rookie Zaven Collins did not have much of an impact with no sacks in 17 games despite being an absolute star at Tulsa.
Arizona lost Chandler Jones in the offseason, and that is enormous considering he is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. The defense is crossing its fingers that J.J. Watt can stay healthy, because this team doesn’t otherwise have a player that can get to the quarterback. This secondary should be better though as Budda Baker is an elite safety and Marco Wilson should show improvement in his second season.
Prediction
It’s easy to talk yourself into Arizona, but the warts are pretty apparent. This defense is going to take a step back, and the ground game isn’t good. The Cardinals are going to have to win shootouts, but defensive coordinators may be getting a read on Kingsbury’s offense.
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