Can the Arizona Cardinals Still Make the Playoffs?
It’s no secret that this season has been an absolute disappointment for the Cardinals so far. They started out hopeful with two wins and zero losses. Then the Cardinals proceeded to lose five straight. Now going into the bye week they are two and five and the season looks like a nightmare. They are only seven games in and the season already feels like it’s over. However, there is still a chance that the Cardinals could make the playoffs, however it is extremely unlikely.
Looking at the Schedule
The Cardinals play ten more games this season. The best case scenario would be that they win all ten and finish the season with twelve wins and five losses. This would not even guarantee that they go to the playoffs as other NFC teams could have a better record. The worst case scenario is that the Cardinals keep losing. Kyler Murray should come back from his injury on November third when he plays the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are an incredibly inconsistent team, competing up until the last second with the Super Bowl champion Eagles and then losing to the Cleveland Browns by a landslide. The Cardinals could definitely win this game. When it comes to the games that are not divisional games, the Cardinals have a decent chance of winning against the Texans, Falcons and the Bengals. The rest of the schedule for the Cardinals though will not be easy. They face the Seahawks and the 49ers who have both already beat them this season. They will also have to play a Super Bowl contender Rams team twice before the season ends. The Cardinals have proved that they can’t win divisional games, having two losses and zero wins when playing teams in the NFC West. If they can not win these games, they will not make the playoffs.
The Cardinals have technically not been eliminated from the playoffs yet but they are on the path to being eliminated soon. They need to figure out how to win divisional games, that is their only way of making the playoffs. The problem with the Cardinals right now is that they have put themselves in such a terrible position. They have so many losses that even if they win the rest of their games, they still might not make the playoffs. However, it is not about the way you start a season, it is about the way you finish it. If the Cardinals can finish it with wins then they could still make the playoffs.
