The Arizona Cardinals’ three-game winning streak vaulted them into first place of the tight NFC West, and another win Sunday against the New York Jets would keep them on top heading into the bye week.
The NFL season is past the trade deadline and into the second half, and the Cardinals have generated interest nationally as a contender to win the division for the first time since 2015.
ESPN analyst Field Yates made the case for Arizona in a midseason predictions piece, stemming from a run-heavy offensive identity, discipline and improving defense. He wrote that the Cardinals are in good shape to make a run at the postseason with two division wins already.
The Cardinals don’t have a difficult schedule down the stretch by opposing win percentage, either. Their test is whether they can maintain a level of play consistent to these past few weeks.
“I think what they’ve done in these first nine games, and especially in these most recent games, is real and it’s sustainable,” Yates told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke. “I think they do have an offensive identity. I think they have this extremely diverse running game where they can give you a ton of different looks, a bunch of different personnel groupings and they’ve got a couple of different guys who have made meaningful contributions as runners, obviously James (Conner) and Kyler (Murray) being the most prominent two.
“On defense, really impressed with the way they can attack you with not just a bunch of different players, but from a bunch of different angles and levels. There’s not really a dominant individual pass rusher coming off the edge right on this roster, part of the reason why they made the trade for Baron Browning, but there are a bunch of different guys from all three levels that can impact these passing lanes and disrupt quarterbacks. We saw that last week when they had Caleb Williams under siege for the entirety of that game.”
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The Cardinals have won games in different ways even just during this win streak.
Against the Chargers and Bears, quarterback Kyler Murray did not eclipse 150 passing yards but the ground game was effective with 394 rushing yards between the two wins. The defense did not allow a single touchdown in those two games, bending without breaking with eight field goals allowed, while they sacked Williams six times last weekend.
In Miami, Murray surpassed 300 passing yards in a terrific showing to outduel a Dolphins offense that got Tua Tagovailoa back.
Yates said he’s seen the best of Murray in two ways: his ability to involve many players on offense and leadership.
“This is totally anecdotal … but it feels to me like Kyler’s leadership has been better this year,” Yates said. “It feels like Kyler’s voice is being heard. It feels like his leadership is really helping this team find ways to win games and also make sure that most every game is competitive.”
The Cardinals’ remaining opponents have a winning percentage of .420, boosted by games against the 2-7 Patriots and 2-7 Panthers, which Yates used as part of his argument for them going forward.
Arizona still has four division games to deal with which could make the difference, and while the records in the NFC West are easy to overlook, there is some momentum for its teams. The 49ers will get Christian McCaffrey back this week after he missed the first two months, while the Rams have surged from 1-4 to 4-4.
“They have rematches with both the Rams and the 49ers. What are you fearing in those games?” Yates said. “I mean, you’ve already gone to San Francisco, you’ve played that team, beat them. You played the Rams, you beat them. I understand that injuries and things of that nature will make those teams look different the second time around when they play. But Arizona should have this. This should be a mentally tough football team because of what took place during the first nine games of the season.
“On top of that, I think probably one of the coolest parts of the Cardinals season so far … I just feel like this team is chock full of unsung heroes, guys who are just doing small things and making meaningful impacts.”
The unsung heroes aspect is especially clear on defense and special teams. Yates pointed to kicker Chad Ryland stepping up for the injured Matt Prater and hitting three game-winners, plus punter Blake Gillikin just won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. The defense has a very young secondary that keeps improving and a defensive front that has had to manage with many injuries to veterans who were expected to start.
Second-year defensive tackle Dante Stills leads the team with 3.5 sacks, second-year defensive back Garrett Williams already has five passes defensed and has shot up coverage grade leaderboards and edge rusher Victor Dimukeje has six quarterback hits in only five games.
The offensive line should not be overlooked either as a unit standing tall despite injuries along the right side.
“To think Arizona has done this without some guys I know I was hopeful for coming into this season, Darius (Robinson) obviously not having the chance to play yet, that’s been a big blow, and Jonah Williams missing time too,” Yates said. “I would think those are probably two of the, I don’t know, four or five headlining additions of the NFL offseason for this team. And we’ve hardly seen them this year. So it’s been really cool to see this team weather a lot.”
ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates said Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland is one of the unsung heroes for the team this season. pic.twitter.com/fOiQoNUhA7
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) November 7, 2024
Robinson and Williams are expected back at some point in the second half.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky played devil’s advocate and made the case for Los Angeles winning the NFC West if it can keep its offensive playmakers healthy. Matt Miller made the prediction that the 49ers would miss the playoffs after their Super Bowl run last season, citing injuries and a defense that has struggled to make key stops.
The Cardinals will take on the Seahawks twice in three weeks out of the bye. Their schedule ends with the Rams in Week 17 and the 49ers to end the regular season.