The Arizona Cardinals are not going to win the NFC West this season. It’s been an uphill climb since reaching the NFC Championship in 2015. The Cards haven’t had a winning season or qualified for the playoffs. Their five wins last year were two better than the previous season, and with an impressive offseason the bar has been raised with a .500 record a distinct possibility. Oddsmakers anticipate better things from the Cards with their win total set at seven.
Arizona Cardinals Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cardinals Over 7 Wins: -130
Cardinals Under 7 Wins: +108
2020 Arizona Cardinals Preview
Last year was an adjustment. The Cards brought in new coach Kliff Kingsbury and handed the offense to No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. They went from three wins in 2018 to five wins and a tie. It wasn’t a huge leap but it was progress. There were also a handful of close games that could have made the record more respectable. The Cards lost five one-score outings, including one to Baltimore, and they lost twice by a total of 13 points to Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco.
There were some growing pains with Murray, though he ended up having a solid season with 3,722 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. The Cards ranked 24th with 217.3 passing yards per game and expect more in that area now that Murray has a season in Kingsbury’s offense. Another reason for an expected jump is the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins. Over the last three seasons Hopkins averaged 105 receptions with over 1,100 yards in each campaign. He led the NFL with 13 TD catches in 2017. He joins Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk to form a lethal trio of pass catchers.
The Cards didn’t give up much to get Hopkins, sending David Johnson to Houston. A premier back a few years ago, Johnson was never the same after an injury early in the 2017 season. Kenyan Drake became the primary back rushing for 643 yards in only eight games. Two holes were filled in the draft. First round pick Isaiah Simmons helps a sieve defense and third-rounder Josh Jones steps in on the offensive line. Jordan Phillips and Devon Kennard will also bolster a defense that allowed 402 yards and 27.6 points per game a season ago.
2020 Arizona Cardinals Schedule
Week 1: Cardinals at 49ers, Sunday, September 13, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 2: Redskins at Cardinals, Sunday, September 20, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 3: Lions at Cardinals, Sunday, September 27, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 4: Cardinals at Panthers, Sunday, October 4, 1 p.m. ET
Week 5: Cardinals at Jets, Sunday, October 11, 1 p.m. ET
Week 6: Cardinals at Cowboys, Monday, October 19, 8:15 p.m. ET
Week 7: Seahawks at Cardinals, Sunday, October 25, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: Dolphins at Cardinals, Sunday, November 8, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 10: Bills at Cardinals, Sunday, November 15, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 11: Cardinals at Seahawks, Thursday, November 19, 8:20 p.m. ET
Week 12: Cardinals at Patriots, Sunday, November 29, 1 p.m. ET
Week 13: Rams at Cardinals, Sunday, December 6, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 14: Cardinals at Giants, Sunday, December 13, 1 p.m. ET
Week 15: Eagles at Cardinals, Sunday, December 20, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 16: 49ers at Cardinals, Saturday/Sunday, December 26/27, TBA
Week 17: Cardinals at Rams, Sunday, January 3, 4:25 p.m. ET
2020 Arizona Cardinals Schedule Analysis
We’ll find out just how far the Cards have evolved right out of the gate. They open the season at NFC champion San Francisco. The teams played a pair of close games last season with the Niners winning by a field goal in the desert and taking a 10-point win at home. That game was much closer with the Cards actually having the lead until a late touchdown followed by a defensive score gave SF the victory. Things lighten up after that with the next four games against the Redskins and Lions at home followed by the Panthers and Jets on the road. For the Cards to have a break-even season or better they need to win at least three of those games.
Winning games within the division will be a key to reaching the over. The Cards were 1-5 against the West last year beating the Seahawks in the next-to-last week of the season. They haven’t beaten the Rams since the final game of the 2016 season losing six straight since then. It looks like LA can be had this year. The most difficult stretch of games comes in Weeks 10-12. The Cards host Buffalo then head to Seattle for a Thursday night encounter. It’s off to New England the following week.
The Final Verdict
I really like what’s going on in Arizona. Murray will only get better and adding Hopkins is a major plus. Simmons is an athlete who could dominate games on his own and the defense appears to be far better than the wreck last season. There were enough upgrades to get them to seven wins making the over a solid choice. Hell, even if they finish with that number it’s a push and you lose nothing. But I think this is a .500 team.
NFL Betting Odds: Arizona Cardinals Over 7 Wins
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