Heading into the 2021 season, will the Arizona Cardinals be able to pull off an impressive run in the playoffs just like the Phoenix Suns did in the NBA this year?
With a 5-2 record after the first seven games of last season, the playoffs felt like they were going to be in the future of the Arizona Cardinals for the first time since 2015.
But then several obstacles prevented the Cardinals from ending the year with more than eight wins and it resulted in them watching the postseason from the outside for the fifth year in a row.
Arizona is expecting things to turn out differently during the upcoming season. They just watched their home state’s pro basketball team, the Phoenix Suns, go down swinging in the NBA Finals. So why can’t the Cardinals have a similar playoff run this year?
Will the Arizona Cardinals steal some of the magic from the Phoenix Suns?
Unfortunately, the Suns were unable to come out of this season’s NBA playoffs with a championship. They’ve got a lot of good, young pieces though. So they should remain competitive for at least another handful of years.
Speaking of good, young pieces, Arizona will be depending on some of the youngest players on their roster to lead the team to success next season.
Guys like quarterback Kyler Murray, linebacker Zaven Collins, running back Chase Edmonds, linebacker Isaiah Simmons, and safety Budda Baker will all have vital roles for the Cardinals in 2021. The success of Arizona next season will certainly depend greatly on the performance of these five players, among others.
The Suns were also able to benefit from some very talented veteran players like Chris Paul and Jae Crowder during their impressive run this year. The Cardinals should be able to do something similar next season with a group of veterans that includes J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, Chandler Jones, and Malcolm Butler.
Like Phoenix has with Devin Booker, Arizona also has themselves a superstar on their roster in wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Throughout his NFL career, Hopkins has displayed the ability to take over a game at any moment, and this should be expected to continue in 2021.
So the similarities between the two franchises seem to be pretty clear. Unlike the Suns, however, will the Cardinals be able to get over the hump and bring home a championship this year?