The Cardinals are the most vulnerable playoff contender in the NFC right now, and they’re still on track to make it back. They have Kyler Murray as their quarterback who is one of the best players in this year’s draft class, but he has not yet gotten NFL experience – which can be a problem at times. However, that might actually work out for them if everyone stays healthy.
The “nfc divisions” is the most vulnerable playoff contender in the NFC right now. Arizona Cardinals have a lot of problems that they need to fix before the playoffs.
The Arizona Cardinals seemed to be the greatest team in the NFL at one time. Kliff Kingsbury’s club has recently looked like a pretty excellent awful football team. With the playoffs just around the doorstep, Kyler Murray and the team are struggling. The Cardinals have the most questions of any of the top NFC playoff teams, which may make a Super Bowl run difficult.
After two consecutive defeats, the Cardinals are hurting.
The Lions’ triumph against the Cardinals is insane.
It’s the first time in NFL history that a club with one victory or less has defeated a team with ten or more wins by double digits. pic.twitter.com/lgWEUvZZlR
December 19, 2021 — NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS)
To begin the 2021 NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals were soaring high. They had a surprise 7-0 start, including wins against the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams.
In Week 8, the team’s unbeaten record came to an end with a loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. Since then, Arizona has gone through ebbs and flows, owing to injuries and a lack of preparedness.
However, the Cardinals’ two most recent defeats are extremely troubling.
In Week 14, the Los Angeles Rams evened the season series with their NFC West rivals. It wasn’t as close as the score suggests, despite the fact that it was a one-possession game.
Arizona was given a favorable bounce-back opportunity in Week 15 against the Detroit Lions by the NFL schedule. However, things did not proceed as planned. From start to end, Dan Campbell’s team smashed the Cardinals in the face. Although it is the NFL, a 30-12 loss to one of the league’s weakest teams is inexcusable.
Kyler Murray and his team are raising red flags.
Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals gets sacked by Detroit Lions quarterback Charles Harris | Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images
When it comes to the Arizona Cardinals’ present troubles, there isn’t a single issue that can be blamed. As the season draws to a close, they face a number of challenges.
Kyler Murray was on fire at the start of the season, as was Arizona. The team’s early success was largely due to the third-year quarterback, who was playing at an MVP level.
Through the first seven games, the Oklahoma product passed for 2,002 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Murray has missed many weeks due to injuries, but in his previous four games, he has thrown three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Kliff Kingsbury, the head coach, acknowledged his involvement in the defeat to Detroit. According to Pro Football Talk, he was “obviously furious to come out and play like that.” “They outplayed and out-coached us.” “We have to improve.”
The Cardinals’ overall lack of preparedness is alarming. This club has echoes of Arizona’s 2020 season, when the team crumbled under duress late in the season and missed the playoffs.
With the playoffs approaching, this club will need to perform some serious introspection.
Arizona should reach the playoffs, but they may be eliminated early.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npSVkTty—Y
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The Cardinals are now 10-4 in the NFC West, with a razor-thin advantage. The Cardinals have a tiebreaker advantage against the Rams, who have the identical record. However, in the last three weeks of the regular season, anything may happen. In the NFC, the Cardinals may conceivably tumble from a 4-seed to a 5-seed.
Kliff Kingsbury’s team is plenty of potential, but one of its greatest players is now injured. In the Week 14 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins sustained a knee injury. The All-Pro wideout is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, according to ESPN.
Hopkins’ injury is a significant blow to the Cardinals as they prepare for the playoffs. When healthy, he is one of the top receivers in the NFL. He has a six-week rehab window, which would put him back in the NFC Championship game. Even yet, Arizona’s chances of making it that far are slim.
Kyler Murray will have to continue to play without his favorite weapon, but this club has found a way to win even when neither player is on the field. The offense, headed by Pro Bowler James Conner and Chase Edmonds, may need to rely more heavily on the rushing game.
It will come down to preparation and desire for the Cardinals. The attack is ranked in the top ten, while the defense is ranked in the top five. On both sides of the ball, there is enough skill to create noise in the playoffs.
If Kliff Kingsbury and company keep going in the same direction, they won’t be in the playoffs for long.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
Following their humiliating loss to the Lions, Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals are in danger of another second-half collapse.
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