Playoffs or Bust In the Desert

By Mike Rifkin

ARIZONA- On Friday night, the Arizona Cardinals will begin the preseason at home against the Dallas Cowboys. Last season the Cardinals finished with a record of 8-8 but were 8-6 and lost the last two games of the regular season against division rivals 49ers and Rams, which eliminated the Cards from playoff contention.

For the second consecutive offseason, the Cardinals made a splash with a former Houston Texans star. The Cardinals signed future Hall of Famer JJ Watt to a two-year contract worth 31 million dollars with 23 million in guaranteed. Pairing Watt with Chandler Jones, who is coming off biceps surgery, in 2019 was second in Defensive Player of the year voting. The secondary will also look a little different as for the first time since 2010, cornerback Patrick Peterson will not be there, as he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings. The Cardinals did replace him with former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals are led by third-year quarterback Kyler Murray, who in that week 17 game against the Rams passed for 87 yards because of injury. The Cardinals offense last season added receiver Deandre Hopkins. This offseason, they signed AJ Green from the Cincinnati Bengals to a one-year contract. In his career, Green has 649 receptions for 9,430 yards and 65 touchdowns. Injuries have hampered Green’s career over the last couple of seasons. After Kenyan Drake’s departure, they also signed former Steelers running back James Conner to pair with Chase Edmonds. But the most significant upgrade on offense could be the addition of center Rodney Hudson, to who they traded a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders. Hudson, who is a three-time Pro Bowler, will anchor the unit that protects Murray.

The NFC West is arguably the best division in the NFL. Last year in the division, the Cardinals had a record of two and four. Arizona has not made the playoffs since 2015, but the Arizona Cardinals have an outstanding roster, and the heat is on head coach Kliff Kingsbury who is entering his third year to make the playoffs.