Arizona Cardinals division extremely winnable this year
By Jim Koch
The NFC West may be there for the taking if the Arizona Cardinals can get a few injured players back and right their ship
Winning the NFC West has been a tough task for the Arizona Cardinals over the last seven seasons. Of course, they did manage to secure a title in 2015, when they blazed to a 13-3 record. However, the remaining six campaigns during that time were dominated by the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
But things appear to be changing. Though it’s unfathomable, the Los Angeles Rams are looking like the best team at two and one. Seattle, like the Cardinals, have limped to a one and two clip, and the Niners are predictably winless.
The most intriguing change occurring within the division is happening up in the Pacific Northwest with the Seahawks. Head coach Pete Carroll’s boys have looked highly vulnerable early on in 2017. While it’s certainly too early to write off Seattle, they certainly aren’t looking like the powerhouse they were projected to be.
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The Rams’ Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in the NFL at just 31 years of age, has quarterback Jared Goff and company looking like a legitimate offense. Running back Todd Gurley has benefitted the most, having tallied 381 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns so far in ’17. Still, opposing defensive coordinators still have plenty of time to prove that McVay the wunderkind is just a flash in the pan.
San Francisco also hired a young head coach in the offseason, but so far have had different results. 37-year old Kyle Shanahan has been handed the controls of one of the most-storied organizations in football. He’ll be given time to turn his squad around, but new general manager John Lynch can’t be thrilled with a zero and three start.
Which brings us to Arizona. After basically staying injury-free throughout the preseason, the Cards have had a boatload of them since the regular-season started. If they can get relatively healthy sometime soon, an NFC West Championship may be well within their grasp.