Why Arizona Cardinals fans should tune into Sunday Night Football in Week 5
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals are a little stingier than many anticipated this season, and a win vs. the Cincinnati Bengals will put them into the early stages of the NFC Playoff Picture. Not that it will matter a month from now if the Cards can’t at least stay somewhere near 0.500, but let’s enjoy the thrill while it lasts.
Therefore, fans should be rather interested in the upcoming matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. While the Cards gave the Niners little resistance last week, they beat the Cowboys, which serves as the only loss between the two teams this week.
If the 49ers beat the Cowboys and jump out to a 5-0 record, then there’s no chance for the Cardinals to keep pace with the best team in the West. You may as well hope for a wildcard if the Redbirds find a way to stick around if San Francisco drops Dallas. But if the Cowboys win, then even with the narrowest of margins, the Cards still have at least a fighting chance to surprise the NFL world and win the West - at least after five weeks of play.
This week’s Sunday Night matchup should interest Arizona Cardinals fans
However, if the Niners beat the Cowboys, it drops Dallas to 3-2, and the likeliest scenario this season is that the Redbirds will play for a wildcard, despite their current 1-3 record. But suppose, for a second, that the Cowboys lose and the Cardinals win - that’s another team the Cards will only find themselves one game behind in the Conference Standings.
As you can see, the Cardinals will benefit, even by the slightest degree, regardless of who wins and who loses. There are also cons depending on the outcome. But as implied, realistically, the Cardinals wouldn’t have much of a chance to win the West this season, so perhaps they could benefit more from a Cowboys loss.
Not that the playoffs are anywhere near a surefire thing this year: They aren’t. But it doesn’t mean the Red Sea can’t have some fun and speculate depending on this game’s outcome.
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(Information provided by ESPN.com)