Nearly a third through, Cardinals season hangs in the balance

By Zev Black
Mail

The Arizona Cardinals are through roughly a third of their games and, sitting at 1-4, are also a third of the way towards their preseason projected win total of 3.5, according to DraftKings.

The team has dealt with their fair share of injuries, having placed 13 players on injured reserve. They are also the 10th oldest team in the league with an average age of 26.5 years of age.

They traded former first round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans after just 33 games played in a Cardinals uniform and then got beat down 45-21 by the Detroit Lions in Glendale.

Things do not get any easier this week, as the team travels to Los Angeles to take on Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams.

So, can the Cardinals still make the postseason?

DraftKings thinks the answer is clear. According to the betting site, Arizona currently has the lowest odds of any NFC team to make the playoffs at +6,900.

Additionally, according to ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index, the Cardinals have the fourth toughest remaining schedule which includes two games against the Rams, another against the 5-0 San Francisco 49ers and a tough matchup in Kansas City against the Chiefs.

In order for the team to turn things around, the defense certainly needs to improve.

Through five weeks, the defense has given up the most points at 32.4 per game. That is more than two points higher than the 31st ranked Saints.

If this trend continued, it would be the most points per game allowed by a defense since the 1981 Colts ... who were still playing in Baltimore.

They’re especially getting burned by the deep ball. Their 9.7 average depth of target is good for second highest in the league.

Budda Baker leads the team with 2.5 sacks. It is never a good thing when your starting safety is on top of that list.

As a team, they have generated only ten quarterback hurries while blitzing 19.9% of the time. They’ve also only knocked the opposing QB down ten times, tied for third fewest in the league.

The offense has fared slightly better, ranking 23rd in the league at 21.6 points per game.

QB Jacoby Brissett, who head coach Mike LaFleur said would remain as the team’s starting quarterback for the time being, is 16th of 30 qualified players at the position in QBR. He’s thrown for 1,110 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

Superstar tight end Trey McBride is second in amongst all receivers in receptions with 42, only behind Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba who has played an extra game. He’s also third amongst tied ends with 308 receiving yards.

And running back Jeremiyah Love leads all rookies with 245 rushing yards, though the team will be without him against the Rams as he has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

At 1-4 and with one of the league’s toughest remaining schedules, the Cardinals have little room for error. Unless the defense finds a solution quickly or the offense is able to overcome, a top pick could be in Arizona’s future.

ESPN currently gives the Cardinals a 7% chance of getting the first overall pick in the 2027 draft and a 55% chance of being in the top five.

Reporter Zev Black can be reached at zblack@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.