Arizona Cardinals hoping Pro Bowl voters acknowledge them

There’s a chance that the Arizona Cardinals may not be as well-represented in the annual Pro Bowl as they’ve been in the past

No one would argue with the fact that the Arizona Cardinals have had an awful season. With first-year head coach Steve Wilks at the helm, wins have been few and far between. However, mixed in with all of the misery have been some pretty impressive individual performances.

With that in mind, the Cards are hopeful that the Pro Bowl voters will remember them when the ballots are tallied. There are certainly members of the club who are deserving of the honor. Players who have managed to shine on a squad that has been discombobulated for the better part of the current campaign.

One Cardinal who will be looking for kindness from the voters is Chandler Jones. Coming off of a year in which he led the NFL with 17 quarterback sacks, the defensive end has once again been outstanding. Heading into week 14, Jones has racked up 12 sacks, 39 tackles and four pass breakups.

It appears that Patrick Peterson could very well be on his way to an eighth-consecutive all-star game appearance. While the ultra-talented cornerback fails to put up gawdy numbers, football purists are well aware of what the 28-year old brings to the table. According to Pro Football Focus, Peterson has allowed 80 or fewer receiving yards in each of his last 67 games, an amazing statistic to say the least.

Second-year pro Budda Baker was the NFC’s special teams representative in the Pro Bowl a year ago. The University of Washington product now has a shot at making it as a safety. Arizona general manager Steve Keim traded up in the 2017 draft to obtain Baker, a move that’s obviously paying dividends.

An interesting name to keep an eye on in the voting is Zeke Turner. The undrafted free agent leads the league in special teams tackles (12) after 13 weeks. Having Turner and Baker as back-to-back, Pro Bowl special teamers would be an impressive accomplishment for the Cards’ franchise.

It looks as if David Johnson will be shut out of the festivities for the second straight season. The star running back missed 15 contests in ’17 due to an injured wrist, so a trip to the Pro Bowl was obviously out of the question. This year, however, it’s Johnson’s mediocre numbers that will keep him out of the game.

The great Larry Fitzgerald finds himself in the same boat as Johnson. While he’s still valuable to the Cardinals, the wide receiver’s pedestrian statistics will prevent him from making a 12th Pro Bowl appearance.

One more Card worth mentioning for consideration is Andy Lee. Heading into week 14, the punter’s 48.5 average has him ranked third-overall in the NFL. Lee has been uniquely consistent for an Arizona squad that has asked him to punt a ton.