Though the Arizona Cardinals are off to an extremely disappointing start their next two foes shouldn’t pose much of a threat
Will the real Arizona Cardinals please stand up.
Over the last two weeks Arizona fans have been subjected to a Jekyll and Hyde football team. Week two featured a positive experience, a 40-7 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last week was the opposite end of the spectrum, a 33-18 embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills.
But don’t fret Cards fans. Good times may be on the way.
This week’s opponent, the division rival Los Angeles Rams, have a helluva defense. They also have a top-notch running back named Todd Gurley. And two wide receivers, Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt, who can hurt a defense if not accounted for.
But they also have Case Keenum as their starting quarterback. That’s not a name that should scare any member of the Cardinals defense. He’s the epitome of mediocre, a journeyman who’s merely keeping the seat warm for number-one draft pick Jared Goff.
Keenum is engineering an offense that is incredibly inept. They somehow failed to score an offensive touchdown in either of their first two games. They rank 29th in points scored (15.3), 32nd in yards per game (262.7) and 31st in passing yards (174.0).
Four days after the Rams game, the club travels to San Francisco to tangle with Chip Kelly’s 49ers. The Niners offense isn’t much better than the Rams. They rank 29th in yards per game (292.0) and 30th in passing yards (175.3).
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Like Keenum, 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert won’t be making NFL defensive coordinators lose sleep any time soon. His statistics are putrid. He has a completion percentage of 55.2, yards per attempt of 5.5 and a QB rating of 68.6.
Their running back Carlos Hyde can play, but his game suffers from their total lack of a passing threat. Their group of wide receivers may be the worst in the league.
Division rivals or not, it would be inexcusable for Arizona to lose to either of these teams. The Cards just have too much talent on their roster.
This two-game stretch may be the perfect remedy for Bruce Arians’ ailing bunch. It’s time for the boys to get back on track. Sunday is when it begins.