The Arizona Cardinals are not highly thought of as far as playoff chances are concerned in 2017
Is a 33 percent chance of making the playoffs considered good? Maybe to some, but for the Arizona Cardinals, ESPN believes eight NFC teams have better chances in 2017.
ESPN released their playoff probabilities on Thursday using their Football Power Index. The Cardinals, according to their analysis, only have a 18.7 percent chance of winning the NFC West.
On the flip side, they give the Seattle Seahawks a 75 percent chance at winning the NFC West, and 83.5 percent chance at making the playoffs period.
Sure, the roster turnover likely played a part in the analysis, however have the Cardinals really dropped that far, especially considering the players that are returning and the ones they’ve added?
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It’s all an unknown. Yes, it is just one outlet’s outlook on things. It isn’t really anything to get worked up over. What it does do though is make fans think about what has changed for the Cardinals.
There are only 12 teams in the NFL that ESPN believes has a less chance of not only making the Super Bowl but winning it. So, 2017 could be another under the radar year.
With Carson Palmer at quarterback, defending receptions leader Larry Fitzgerald returning, and another fantastic year expected from running back David Johnson, will there be a huge drop off?
The defense has certainly stacked itself despite the losses of Calais Campbell and Tony Jefferson. They’ve added Haason Reddick, Budda Baker, and brought back Karlos Dansby.
Oh, they also still have Markus Golden and Chandler Jones at linebacker who had 23.5 sacks between them in 2016. The Cardinals also should have a 100 percent Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson.
So, while ESPN may not look at the Cardinals as a serious contender, it should still be widely believed, at least from Cardinals fans standpoint, that the schedule is favorable for the most part and they should contend with Seattle for the NFC West at the very least.