Dallas Cowboys among 5 sleeper teams to watch for in 2014
1. Arizona Cardinals
If the NFL were to rid itself of divisions, I don’t doubt that the Cardinals could fight for the three seed in the NFC. They’re that good.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they play in the NFC West — surely the NFL’s toughest division. That means two games against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, two games against a 49ers team that was a better thrown ball by Colin Kaepernick away from beating the Seahawks in the 2014 NFC Championship Game, and two games against the quickly improving Rams.
Still, here’s my case for the Cardinals in 2014:
- After a 3-4 start last season, Arizona finished 7-2 and easily could’ve been 9-0 — the Cardinals lost by three to the Eagles in Week 13 after a questionable defensive holding call on Tyrann Mathieu and again by just three to the 49ers in Week 17. The 7-2 stretch also included a 29-point win over the Colts and a 7-point win over the Seahawks — probably Arizona’s two most impressive games of 2013.
- Not coincidentally, quarterback Carson Palmer was far better in Arizona’s final nine games (16 touchdowns to nine interceptions) than he was in the first seven games (eight touchdowns to 13 interceptions). The key for Palmer: picking up where he left off.
- The Cardinals ranked sixth in total defense and a respectable 12th in total offense last season. It was turnovers that doomed them — they finished tied for 17th in turnover differential (-1), far worse than both the Seahawks (first overall at +22) and the 49ers (seventh overall at +12). If Arizona cuts down on its turnovers, that could be enough to finish better than third in the division or at least grab the second Wild Card spot.
Bottom line: The Cardinals were as good as any team in the league during the second half of last season. If that Cardinals team shows up for an entire season in 2014, Arizona could have a busy schedule in January.