Arizona Cardinals 2022 Win Prediction

BY ADAM GREENE

For the second consecutive season the Arizona Cardinals came out of the gate strong, this time winning seven straight games to open the campaign before taking their first loss.

Even then, it wasn’t a disaster. That first “L” came against the Green Bay Packers and they followed that up with a monster win over the San Francisco 49ers. An absolutely abomination of a loss to the Carolina Panthers came next and that is what really opened the gates on the season slide.

Arizona managed to win their next two games against the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks, but lost the next four straight, including a 30-12 curb stomp at the feet of the hapless Detroit Lions. The only game they won in the final five was a 25-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys that had way more to do with Mike McCarthy’s horrid game management than Arizona’s playmaking ability.

Still, the Cardinals managed to back into the playoffs in spite of going 1-4 to end the season. They still had a chance to win the division in Week 18, but were blasted by Russell Wilson in his Seattle swan song 38-30 to ensure they would play on the road in the Wild Card round.

In that first playoff appearance for head coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray, they were completely dominated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, 34-11.

It was a whimper of an ending for a double digit victory season that saw the Cards knock off the Rams for the first time in the Sean McVay era back in October. Their 11 victories were the highest win total since 2015 and they secured their first consecutive non losing seasons since 2013-2015.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Last season: 11-6, lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round

Odds: Over/Under 8.5 wins (-115)

2022 NFL Draft: Trey McBride, TE, Colorado (Round 2), Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State (Round 3), Myjai Sanders, Edge, Cincinnati (Round 3), Keaontay Ingram, RB, USC (Round 6), Lecitus Smith, OG, Virginia Tech (Round 6), Christian Matthew, DB, Valdosta State (Round 7), Jesse Luketa, LB, Penn State (Round 7), Marquis Hayes, OG, Oklahoma (Round 7)

2022 Additions: Marquis Brown, WR (trade), Jeff Gladney, CB (free agent), Nick Vigil, LB (free agent), Will Hernandez, OL (free agent), Stephen Anderson, TE (free agent), Darrell Williams, RB (free agent), Kingsley Keke, DL (free agent), Ezekiel Turner, LB (free agent), Andy Lee, P (free agent), Aaron Brewer, LS (free agent), Charles Washington, Safety (free agent), Ben Niemann, LB (free agent), Christian Blake, WR (free agent)

Projected Starters

Offense

QB: Kyler Murray

RB: James Conner

WR: Marquise Brown

WR: Rondale Moore

WR: AJ Green

TE: Zach Ertz

LT: DJ Humphries

LG: Justin Pugh

C: Rodney Hudson

RG: Will Hernandez

RT: Kelvin Beachum

Defense

LDE: JJ Watt

NT: Rashard Lawrence

RDE: Zach Allen

WLB: Dennis Gardeck

LILB: Zaven Collins

RILB: Isiah Simmons

SLB: Markus Golden

CB: Byron Murphy Jr.

CB: Marco Wilson

SS: Jalen Thompson

FS: Budda Baker

Special Teams

PK: Matt Prater

P: Andy Lee

PR: Rondale Moore

KR: Rondale Moore

PREVIEW

The offseason has been a mixed bag for the Cardinals. The team solidified its coaching staff and front office by extending general manager Steve Keim and Kingsbury’s contracts that will keep them (ideally) with the team through the 2027 season. That was pretty much the only good thing as All-Universe wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was hit with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy.

Then there’s the drama surrounding Murray and his potential contract extension. The Cards QB is entering the fourth season of his rookie contract after the team picked up his (pretty useless) fifth year option. He’s due to be paid $11.386 million this year and feels as if he’s due a significant raise.

I want to point out that the fifth year option, if Murray played on it, would pay him $29.703 million for that season which is probably what he’s worth. That would make him the fifth highest paid QB in the league if he got it this season. As it is, if he plays and doesn’t get a new contract, he’ll be the 12^th highest paid quarterback in the league next year (again, probably what he is). All signs point to that new deal happening soon, but if I was the Cardinals I’d cool it. How many times do these situations play out in any good way? For every Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen you’ve got a Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. And Goff at least won some playoff games before he got his.

On the bright side, a new contract will get Murray in camp and help the team prepare for the upcoming season. And they need it.

Arizona has one of the toughest schedules in the league at the worst possible time. DeAndrew Hopkins’ six-game suspension happens at the same time the Cardinals open against the Kansas City Chiefs at home, at the Las Vegas Raiders then host the Los Angeles Rams. They get a break at the Carolina Panthers, then they host the Philadelphia Eagles before playing at the Seattle Seahawks. That looks like a 2-4 start to me even if Hopkins was on the roster. It could be worse without him.

Last season they went 1-4 without Hopkins in the line up with their points per game average dropping 10.45.

It gets no easier once Hopkins returns with back-to-back weeks against the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings with a Seahawks break before a stretch with the Rams, 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is the problem for a team like the Cards. When you make the playoffs, you get a playoff schedule the next season.

With the eviction of Russell Wilson (and soon Jimmy Garoppolo), the NFC West is no longer the best division in football. But none of these teams are terrible, even if three of them might finish with losing records. Playing the AFC West along with a playoff team schedule is just too much to ask of an Arizona team that is always looking for an excuse to wilt when the pressure is on.

Final record prediction: 7-10

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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