Three things the Arizona Cardinals must improve to make the playoffs

The Arizona Cardinals have gone from NFL surprise to a team that has fallen back to Earth in recent weeks.

First off, let’s appreciate the clear upside: The Arizona Cardinals have been in all but one game all season. The one game you can call a blowout occurred in week four when the Carolina Panthers shut down the offense and the defense failed to stop Teddy Bridgewater and Company on third down.

Other than the Carolina game, the Cardinals have kept us glued to our television sets and have pulled off some thrilling wins. Most notably against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and the Buffalo Bills. They have also lost games they should have won, both of which game down to a game-tying and go-ahead field goal which kicker Zane Gonzalez failed to convert.

So here the Cardinals stand at 6-5 and barely clinging to their playoff lives. Since most of the Cardinals games have been winnable, it shows us that if they improve in three important areas, they shouldn’t finish lower than 9-7. Which given the state of the NFC, should be enough to clinch a playoff berth.

But there are still five games to go and anything is possible. Let’s discover what the Cardinals need to do to make the playoffs in January.