Super Bowl remains the goal for Arizona Cardinals
By Jim Koch
Despite being counted out by so-called experts the Arizona Cardinals still have a strong enough roster to win the Lombardi trophy
There’s no denying that the Arizona Cardinals are off to a terrible start. They’ve dropped three of their first five games and were the favorites to win in all three of the losses. Not at all the way they wanted to begin the season.
After winning last Thursday night, they’re not scheduled to play again til this Monday night. An 11-day hiatus that feels kind of like a mini-bye week. A break that’s given them time to regroup and has allowed Carson Palmer extra time to recover from a concussion.
Granted, the injuries to starting guards Mike Iupati and Evan Mathis are a big blow. While Iupati hopefully will be back in a couple of weeks, Mathis is most likely done for the year. Bruce Arians’ mantra of “next man up” is coming firmly into play with the recent injuries.
The National Football Conference appears to be going through another changing of the guard. The teams that were supposed to be on top are hovering near the bottom, and vice versa.
Arizona still has time to fulfill the expectations placed upon them by prognosticators. If Palmer can settle down and use the many weapons at his disposal, the offense can be highly productive again. The defense has looked fierce at times, and is currently ranked second in the NFL in sacks with 18.
It’s possible that the club is getting their bad performances out of the way early. Usually the teams that get hot in December and January are the ones that make it to the Super Bowl.
In spite of the below .500 record, one can’t help but be dazzled by the Cards roster. But looking good on paper is one thing, proving yourself on the field is what really counts. It’s time for Arizona to step up and prove those so-called “experts “wrong.