Arizona Cardinals: Breaking Down The Best In The NFC
By Scott Allen
When the NFL Network came out Tuesday morning and talked about the six best teams in the NFC, amazingly one of those six was not the Arizona Cardinals. I shouldn’t be shocked given the lack of national respect but at the same time its almost as if the first five games didn’t really happen for the Cards.
On NFL AM, host Erin Coscarelli really wanted to push the San Francisco 49ers as the best in the west. Lavar Arrington had to remind her that the Cardinals beat the Niners already, a subject she kind of just shrugged off. I mean, I get it. The Niners have had a couple of nice wins over the Eagles and Chiefs in the their last two. They could come back to Earth though after this Sunday night’s trip to Denver. The Cards know all about that trip.
If the playoffs started today, the Cards would actually get the second seed in the NFC as the NFC West champ. Of course we have a long long way to go. I’m just pointing out the mere absurdity of excluding the Cards when discussing the NFC.
A look at the eight best:
Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) Their only loss was in San Francisco after their offense stayed home. They have a 3-1 conference record.
Arizona Cardinals (4-1) Their only loss was to the AFC’s Denver Broncos in Denver. They are 3-0 in the conference.
Dallas Cowboys (5-1) They deserve the talk. Impressive wins against the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks. They are 3-1 in the NFC.
Detroit Lions (4-2) They would be in as the 4th seed due to being the NFC North champ. Not sure they can hang. Great defense but offense is struggling without Calvin Johnson.
San Francisco 49ers (4-2) The Niners are on the move as I stated. Denver will tell us a lot. They did lose to the Cards and Bears. They are 3-2 in the NFC.
Green Bay Packers (4-2) Pulled out a last second win in Miami. Still not sure what to make of them. They could easily be 2-4. They are 2-2 in the NFC.
Seattle Seahawks (3-2) I don’t think they are the seventh-best team in the NFC. Record-wise they are. They’d be on the outside looking in. Green Bay or Detroit will slip. Maybe even the Niners. I still think the Seahawks are better than the Niners. Hawks are 2-1 in the NFC now.
Carolina Panthers (3-2-1) That tie against the Cincinnati Bengals leaves some doubt. Their defense still needs help. They have a big win over Detroit though. They are 3-0 in the NFC.