How Good are These 2014 Arizona Cardinals?

Yes. Don’t rub your eyes or check your glasses.

That is the Arizona Cardinals with a 5-1 record and with a two-game lead in the loss column over both the San Francisco 49ers (4-3) and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (3-3).

Are we more surprised that the Cards have lost just once in six games or that both the Niners and ‘Hawks are at or hovering near .500? In any case, discounting what Bruce Arians’ team has done to date would be a mistake. And if you believe in late-season momentum, the Cardinals are a prime example of a group picking up where it left off…sort of.

Let’s flashback to 2012 when then-Ken Whisenhunt’s club surprised nearly everyone that season by jumping out to a 4-0 start. That included a stunning 20-18 victory over the defending AFC champion New England Patriots in Foxborough in Week 2.

But the thrill didn’t last very long. The Cards would proceed to drop 11 of their final 12 games that year. The team would eventually go through four different starting quarterbacks—John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer—and by the end of the season Whisenhunt would be relieved of his head-coaching duties.

Enter Arians, the 2012 NFL Coach of the Year thanks to his relief work of Chuck Pagano in Indianapolis. The Colts’ new sideline leader had been struck with leukemia and Arians, the team’s offensive coordinator, took over and helped lead the club to an 11-5 record and the playoffs.

The team got off to a rough start a year ago, dropping four of its first seven games—three of those losses to the division-rival St. Louis Rams, 49ers and Seahawks. One of the factors in those setbacks was the play of veteran quarterback Carson Palmer, acquired from the Oakland Raiders in an offseason trade. Yes, he would be the team’s fifth different starting quarterback in barely two seasons.

The NFL’s first overall pick in 2003 had his issues in the early stage of ’13. During the team’s 3-4 start, he threw eight touchdown passes but served up 13 interceptions. It looked like unfortunate business as usual for the talented but turnover-prone signal-caller, whose skills have been diminished by injuries.

But Palmer would start to play better, a talented defense was coming into its own and Arians was pushing all the right buttons. A 7-2 finish a year ago would give the Cards a 10-6 record. But it wasn’t good enough for the team to reach the postseason for the first time since 2009.

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This offseason, the team would add some offensive talent in wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and third-round draft choice John Brown, as well as free-agent tight end John Carlson, to aid Palmer and an offense that was much-improved but still a bit underwhelming in 2013. However, the league’s sixth-ranked defense this past season (first in the NFL vs. the run) would have to deal with some major blows.

Inside linebacker Karlos Danbsy jumped to the Cleveland Browns this offseason and teammate Daryl Washington would be suspended by the league for all of 2014. The team also opted not to bring back strong safety Yeremiah Bell, who would ultimately retire. Those three players were the team’s top three tacklers this past season. During the summer, the club lost standout defensive tackle Darnell Dockett with a torn ACL. Outside linebacker John Abraham, the team leader with 11.5 sacks in 2013, is currently on injured reserve. And standout 2013 rookie safety Tyrann Mathieu was coming off a injury-shortened year.

So how has defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ unit responded? Entering Week 8, Arizona was again the league’s top team vs. the run. The overall defense is ranked 18th (31st against the pass) and has produced only seven sacks. However, the Cards have totaled 11 takeaways in six games, including eight interceptions. Arians’ savvy squad is allowing fewer than 20 points per game and 41 of their 119 points allowed came in the Week 5 loss at Denver.

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Back to the offense where the team has used two different starting quarterbacks this season in both Palmer and Drew Stanton. Rookie Logan Thomas has also seen action as well. The trio has combined for only nine touchdown passes but has thrown only one interception.

Palmer has now connected for 22 scores while being picked off only 10 times in his last 12 games, 10 of those resulting in victories. In fact, since that dreadful 3-4 start of a year ago, the Cardinals are an impressive 12-3 in their last 15 outings regardless of who is playing quarterback.

As for the rest of the offense, second-year running back Andre Ellington has been a sparkplug as both a runner and pass-catcher. The sixth-round pick from Clemson in 2013 leads the club in both rushing yards () and receptions and is tied for 10th in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage (). While some have focused on what veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald hasn’t done this season, he’s still a reliable target and is second on the club with 23 catches. Floyd continues to be the new big-play component in the passing attack and the aforementioned John Brown leads the club with three touchdown grabs.

But let’s not bury the lead. The only teams to beat the Cardinals in their last 15 games are the Eagles in Philadelphia, the Niners (at home) and the Broncos in Denver. Over that stretch, Arians’ club has proved its mettle with victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Seahawks—the latter at Seattle, as well as solid wins this season over the San Diego Chargers and 49ers. On Sunday, those Eagles arrive in Arizona in what shapes up as an intriguing battle between 5-1 clubs.

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So are the Cardinals a contender and can they hang on in the NFC West and win a division title for the first time since 2009? We won’t get that answer for quite some time thanks to the schedule. Eight weeks into the season and there have been a total of three games played within the division. Arizona plays it last three games and four of its final six contests within the division. The rival Seahawks close with five NFC West opponents in the final six weeks, including two meetings with the Cards in Weeks 12 and 16.

Meanwhile, Arians and company will get a chance to warm up against some top-notch competition over the next few weeks. The visit from the Eagles is followed by a trip to Dallas then back-to-back home games against the division-rival Rams and much-improved Detroit Lions.

A 5-1 start this season and a 12-3 run dating back to 2013 are certainly eye-opening, as is the play of a team that makes few mistakes (four turnovers in six games this season) and seems to take adversity in stride.

Which means those dismissing Arians’ team may be making a cardinal mistake.

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