NFL: Surprises And Disappointments In The First Half

Surprise: Arizona Cardinals

Okay, some might not consider the Cardinals as much of a surprise since they finished 10-6 last season but did not make it to the playoffs. They also beat the Seahawks in Seattle and handed Russel Wilson the first home loss of his career.

What if I told you before the season that their quarterback, Carson Palmer, would miss a few games because of a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder, one of their best linebackers, John Abraham, would be lost for the season, and one of their best defensive players, Calais Campbell, would miss games with a knee injury and the Cardinals would not only own a 6-1 record, but also have a two game lead over the Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers? Now THAT would be surprising, would it not?

There are no stats on the Cardinals that jump out on you, except for one. They are 15th in points scored, 15th in passing yards and 25th in yards allowed. The one stat that does jump is the points allowed, where they rank 5th. You can get yards on them, but the Cardinals will not let you score. In a division with the Seahawks and Niners, it’s the Cardinals that have allowed the fewest points.

The schedule will be tough for the Cardinals in the second half. They play the Dallas Cowboys this week, the Detroit Lions in two weeks, then two games against the Seahawks and the last game of the year against the 49ers. We will see if this success is just for half a season or if they can maintain this play for the rest of the season.