Arizona Cardinals will be in the NFL playoffs in 2014 if…

You remember the last time the Cardinals won an NFL championship?

You don’t?

Well, it’s been quite a while. The year was 1947 and the franchise was based in Chicago.

Why bring this up? That’s the longest current drought in the league when it comes to winning a league title.

So are ready to proclaim that the Arizona Cardinals are Super Bowl bound in 2014? What we do know is that it wouldn’t be much of a road trip considering the game is in Glendale in February.

This past season, Bruce Arians nearly captured NFL Coach of the Year honors for a second straight year after turning his new team into a 10-6 contender. The Cards fell short of the playoffs despite double-digit victories but it was quite a turnaround for a team that had closed 2012 with 11 losses in 12 games.

There is certainly talent in the desert. Of course, there is also the specter of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and formidable San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West neighborhood.

No matter. This Cardinals team will be worth dealing with once again.

This is the 20th part of a 32-team series in which we’ll look at the “if, and & but’s” of each team’s chances to make the postseason.

Hence, Arizona will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2009…