Analyst shares how Arizona can ‘blow past’ their projected 2021 win total

Could rolling with a pass-heavy offense be the key to the Arizona Cardinals reaching their potential during the upcoming 2021 season?

It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen the Arizona Cardinals finish a season with a record over .500. In fact, the last time this happened was back in 2015, which also happens to be when the Cardinals last made the playoffs.

After improving their win total by three games in their second year with Kliff Kingsbury as their head coach in 2020, expectations for the upcoming season are for the Cardinals to continue their progression.

With guys like Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Budda Baker, J.J. Watt, and Chandler Jones on their roster, Arizona has the necessary pieces to make a run to the playoffs in 2021. They just have to figure out how to put everything together.

How can the Arizona Cardinals finish with a winning record in 2021?

As of Monday morning, CBS Sports has the Cardinals projected to win eight of their games next season. This the number that most have predicted Arizona to finish with in 2021, which would mean that they would end the season with an 8-9 record.

In order to avoid an underwhelming performance that only results in eight wins, NBC Sports Edge’s Kyle Dvorchak recently shared what he believes could lead to the Cardinals eclipsing their 2021 expectations by a wide margin. Here’s what he had to say.

"“If [Kliff] Kingsbury opts for a pass-heavy approach and allows [Kyler] Murray to throw beyond the sticks more often, his offense has the talent to blow past [Arizona’s projected] win total.”"

As is always the case for every team around the NFL, health will be a key factor in the Cardinals achieving success next season or not. Arizona definitely felt the impact of several of their top players dealing with injuries last year, including Murray and Jones.

If the majority of their best weapons on offense are able to stay healthy next season, perhaps Kingsbury would consider an offensive scheme that allows Murray to chuck it all over the field at a more frequent rate.

The Arizona quarterback was just talking about how he wants to be less of a factor in the team’s rushing attack. Switching to a pass-heavy offense would fall in line with Murray’s desires, and according to Dvorchak, it could potentially result in a magical season for the Cardinals.