How Good are the Cardinals?

Added on Oct 04, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Much to most NFL pundits’ surprise, the Arizona Cardinals are aiming for a 5-0 start when they take the field against the Rams on Thursday night football. With victories over preseason Super Bowl favorites New England and Philadelphia, and another versus a pesky Seahawks team, it would be foolish to call Arizona’s record a fluke (unlike say, San Diego). That being said, it’s not wrong to question how good these desert birds really are. Let’s take a look.

Defense has fueled the Cards thus far, ranking third in points allowed with 15.2. Despite being middle of the road against both the pass and run, they are doing what all great defenses do: slamming the door shut on the end zone. Also aiding in their efforts is a +4 turnover ratio. Other than Adrian Wilson, Darnell Dockett and Patrick Peterson, their key defenders might not be household names, but players like linebacker Daryl Washington and defensive end Calais Campbell are quickly gaining respect across the league.

On offense, much of the talk has surrounded the muddled quarterback picture, which has plagued the franchise since Kurt Warner retired. John Skelton was anointed the starter prior to Week 1, but an ankle injury has kept him sidelined during the undefeated run. In his stead, on-again, off-again bust Kevin Kolb is doing enough to win games. He tossed his first two interceptions of the season in last Sunday’s comeback victory and is completing over 62% of his passes. On the downside, he ‘s taken 13 sacks and is still prone to erratic stretches.

Larry Fitzgerald shook off a slow first two weeks and is playing like, well, Larry Fitzgerald, racking 17 catches and two touchdowns in his last two games. Even third-year wide receiver Andre Roberts is improved, fresh off a 118-yard two-touchdown performance versus Miami. The team’s biggest weakness is the ground game. The combination of the perpetually nicked Beanie Wells and the underwhelming Ryan Williams is producing a pathetic 68 yards per game and neither back has gained a foothold as the main ball carrier.

The lack of a consistent run game isn’t a hindrance in today’s NFL, as long as the quarterback and defense continue to do their jobs. The Niners won the NFC West in 2011 playing a very similar, although more efficient, style of ball. Whether or not the Cardinals can maintain their current play remains to be seen. Weeks 8-11 will reveal a lot about the direction they are heading with a brutal stretch that includes matchups against San Francisco, Green Bay and Atlanta. But so far, so good.