4.) Cardinals get swept in NFC West again
When a team has an 8-26 record over the past two seasons, it clearly shows that there was a lack of talent on the roster. Not to mention, there was a big transition in both the front office and the coaching staff. Going into last season, the Cardinals should have known it was going to be a long and painful season. They finished 4-13 but did show signs of fight against some of the top teams in the league.
However, they went winless in the NFC West last year making it impossible to be competitive. While the San Francisco 49ers remain one of the top teams in the NFL and both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks have solid rosters, the Cardinals are going to need to win atleast two, maybe three in-division games this season. Getting swept again is a big nightmare for this Cardinals roster that has a lot of young talent.
3.) Marvin Harrison Jr. disappoints in first season
All of the hype that surrounds rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. needs to come to full effect in his first year in the desert. He lands in a great situation with Kyler Murray throwing him the ball and is the undisputed number one receiver in the offense. Harrison Jr. has a lot of high expectations in his career and it will start early on this upcoming season. When looking back at receivers who were drafted in the top five of the NFL Draft, one name that stands out is Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase who had a fantastic rookie season and helped the Bengals reach the Super Bowl.
We know that Harrison Jr. can’t be the main reason why the Cardinals go far this season, but he has to be able to show that he can live up to the hype that is surrounding him. If he disappoints his first season as a Cardinal, it is one year wasted on his rookie contract and it could possibly limit what Arizona can do on offense.