Arizona Cardinals join professional football’s upper echelon
By Jim Koch
Last Sunday’s scintillating victory propelled the Arizona Cardinals into the upper echelon of the National Football League
The Arizona Cardinals were so close they could taste it. Throughout the 2020 campaign, head coach Kliff Kingsbury‘s squad had been trying to get over the hump. Attempting to cross that invisible line that separates the contenders in the NFL from the pretenders.
This past Sunday, the Cards prevailed in the type of contest that could earn them a large amount of respect. That afternoon’s opponent, the Buffalo Bills, were sporting a mighty impressive 7-2 record through nine weeks. In what was quite possibly pro football’s game of the year, Arizona walked away with a 32-30 triumph over the AFC East-leading Bills.
All of a sudden, the Cardinals are the talk of the league. Quarterback Kyler Murray, an MVP candidate, has guided his teammates to six wins in nine tries. An impressive record that has the Cards (thanks to tiebreakers) perched atop the ultra-competitive NFC West division.
Actually, the Cards are a measly six points away from an 8-1 mark. In week three, the Redbirds suffered a heartbreaking 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. A week before the Bills matchup, Arizona fell 34-31 to the vastly-improved Miami Dolphins.
The offseason addition of superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins has done wonders for the Cardinals offensive attack. At the moment, the four-time Pro Bowler ranks second in the NFL in both receptions (67) and receiving yards (861) to Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs. However, Hopkins has appeared in just nine games this season, while Diggs has suited up for 10 matchups.
This coming Thursday night, the Cards will have another opportunity to further cement their status among the NFL’s elite. Murray, Hopkins and company will travel to Seattle, for a second meeting with the always-dangerous Seahawks. Arizona already defeated their divisional rival this year, when they took a 37-34 decision over Seattle back on October 25th.
Next. Mistakes wiped out by newcomers. dark
There’s genuine excitement brewing in the desert once again, thanks to the emergence of Kingsbury’s Cardinals. The last time that the organization made a run was back in 2015, when Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer led the franchise to the NFC Championship game. Get your popcorn ready Cards fans, another run through the playoffs could be straight ahead.