- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Messages
- 35,576
- Name
- The Dude
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...rizona-cardinals-back-to-earth-031614717.html
This is why it makes sense to take a look at the past schedule in the NFL, and not just the standings.
A lot of people were anointing the Arizona Cardinals as one of the best teams in football after three weeks. They had defeated the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, arguably the three worst teams in the NFL.
The Cardinals don’t look like one of the best teams in the NFL anymore. The St. Louis Rams came into Arizona and won 24-22. The Rams never trailed. The Cardinals weren’t blown out or anything — they out-gained the Rams 447-328 and had a chance to win in the last two minutes but turned it over on downs — but they also didn’t look all that dominant either.
The Cardinals aren’t a bad team, but are they one of the absolute best? Maybe not. The Rams’ offensive line hasn’t been able to block well all season, but it helped rookie Todd Gurley gain 144 yards in the second half. Nick Foles isn’t a great quarterback, but he completed 16-of-24 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against Arizona. The offense that everyone was so excited about didn’t score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, when the Rams were up 24-15.
And this was a Rams team that was 1-2 with losses to Washington and a Pittsburgh Steelers team that lost Ben Roethlisberger. Life looked different for the Cardinals when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wasn’t handing them interceptions.
One loss doesn’t mean the Cardinals aren’t good or even that we should cross them off a painfully short list of Super Bowl contenders. But we just need to slow down a little. Had the Seattle Seahawks played the Saints, Bears and 49ers, they would have been an impressive 3-0 too. A nice scheduling stretch didn’t mean the Cardinals had overtaken the Seahawks in the NFC West.
The Cardinals are still a good team. They’ll probably be a playoff team. But they’re not one of the top two or three teams in the NFL. They might not be the best team in the NFC West. Just something to keep in mind next year when we go crazy about an undefeated team: Always keep in mind who they’ve had to beat.
This is why it makes sense to take a look at the past schedule in the NFL, and not just the standings.
A lot of people were anointing the Arizona Cardinals as one of the best teams in football after three weeks. They had defeated the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, arguably the three worst teams in the NFL.
The Cardinals don’t look like one of the best teams in the NFL anymore. The St. Louis Rams came into Arizona and won 24-22. The Rams never trailed. The Cardinals weren’t blown out or anything — they out-gained the Rams 447-328 and had a chance to win in the last two minutes but turned it over on downs — but they also didn’t look all that dominant either.
The Cardinals aren’t a bad team, but are they one of the absolute best? Maybe not. The Rams’ offensive line hasn’t been able to block well all season, but it helped rookie Todd Gurley gain 144 yards in the second half. Nick Foles isn’t a great quarterback, but he completed 16-of-24 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against Arizona. The offense that everyone was so excited about didn’t score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, when the Rams were up 24-15.
And this was a Rams team that was 1-2 with losses to Washington and a Pittsburgh Steelers team that lost Ben Roethlisberger. Life looked different for the Cardinals when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wasn’t handing them interceptions.
One loss doesn’t mean the Cardinals aren’t good or even that we should cross them off a painfully short list of Super Bowl contenders. But we just need to slow down a little. Had the Seattle Seahawks played the Saints, Bears and 49ers, they would have been an impressive 3-0 too. A nice scheduling stretch didn’t mean the Cardinals had overtaken the Seahawks in the NFC West.
The Cardinals are still a good team. They’ll probably be a playoff team. But they’re not one of the top two or three teams in the NFL. They might not be the best team in the NFC West. Just something to keep in mind next year when we go crazy about an undefeated team: Always keep in mind who they’ve had to beat.
