2017 Arizona Cardinals Season Win Total Picks
2016 Record: 7-8-1
2017 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 8.0
2017 Season Win Total Prediction: 'Over'
Last year at this time I felt the Cardinals had one of the best rosters in football and that they were a true Super Bowl threat. Things didn't work out that way. Instead Arizona suffered through an incredibly frustrating, underachieving season that left them below .500 but also below the radar coming into 2017.
In 2015 Arizona fielded a Top 10 total offense (No. 1) and a Top 5 total defense (No. 5) and finished 13-3. Last year they repeated their gaudy stats, again finishing in the Top 10 in offense (No. 9) and Top 5 in defense (No. 2). But thanks to a variety of turnovers, fluke plays, and late-game mistakes the Cardinals parlayed those top numbers into only a 7-8-1 record.
This is a crucial season for Arizona. Neither head coach Bruce Arians nor quarterback Carson Palmer nor star wideout Larry Fitzgerald are getting any younger. You have to wonder if this team will play with the focus and urgency necessary to claw their way back among the NFC's elite.
Arizona has the firepower to score on anyone. Arians loves to pound the ball with multitalented David Johnson and then take aggressive shots down the field in the passing game. However, Arians' vertical passing game often leaves Palmer staring into the teeth of opposing rushers. And if Palmer has shown anything in his career it is that he would rather turn the ball over with an errant throw than stand in and take a hit.
The Cardinals defense got a little younger and a little thinner during the offseason, losing veterans Calais Campbell, Kevin Minter, Chris Clemons and D.J. Swearinger. But they still have some high-end guys to lean on (Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson) and if they are to remain in the Top 10 on this side they'll need some of the homegrown youngsters to develop.
No team in the NFC underachieved as much as Arizona last year relative to their Pythagorean Win Total. They outgained their opponents by 62 yards per game - best in the NFL - and their defensive yards per point is in a range that screams for a better season. The Cardinals haven't been great in terms of turnover differential under Arians. And if they can make a leap in that stat this season I feel like the other numbers - including wins - will follow.
The Cardinals have a challenging early schedule with back-to-back road games prior to the home opener against Dallas. Crossing over with the NFC East means two trips to the Eastern Time Zone, and the Cards also have to travel to London in Week 7 to take on the Rams. But in all this is a relatively manageable slate.
I think that Arizona is a prime bounce-back candidate. I think this is a good team that simply didn't play well last year. But assuming they stay healthy I think that this is a team that can at least challenge Seattle for the NFC West and another trip to the postseason. Play 'over'.
Cardinals Regular Season Schedule (All times Eastern)
Week |
Date |
Kickoff |
Opponent |
1 |
10-Sep |
10:00 a.m. |
at Detroit Lions |
2 |
17-Sep |
10:00 a.m. |
at Indianapolis Colts |
3 |
25-Sep |
5:30 p.m. |
Dallas Cowboys |
4 |
1-Oct |
1:05 p.m. |
San Francisco 49ers |
5 |
8-Oct |
10:00 a.m. |
at Philadelphia Eagles |
6 |
15-Oct |
1:05 p.m. |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
7 |
22-Oct |
10:00 a.m. |
at Los Angeles Rams |
8 |
29-Oct |
|
Bye |
9 |
5-Nov |
2:05 p.m. |
at San Francisco 49ers |
10 |
9-Nov |
6:25 p.m. |
Seattle Seahawks |
11 |
19-Nov |
11:00 a.m. |
at Houston Texans |
12 |
26-Nov |
2:25 p.m. |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
13 |
3-Dec |
2:25 p.m. |
Los Angeles Rams |
14 |
10-Dec |
2:05 p.m. |
Tennessee Titans |
15 |
17-Dec |
11:00 a.m. |
at Washington Redskins |
16 |
24-Dec |
2:25 p.m. |
New York Giants |
17 |
31-Dec |
2:25 p.m. |
at Seattle Seahawks |
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