Cardinals’ Super Bowl Odds Suggest a Step Back Next Season

For my money, the Arizona Cardinals were the biggest disappointment in the NFL last year.

After coming out to a 7-0 record to start the season, the Cardinals watched their season crumble in the second half yet again; eventually winding up in the Wild Card round against the Los Angeles Rams. We all know how that went and the team that was once near the top to win at all was sent packing in the first round. 

Arizona was difficult to pin down last year and betting on them got very frustrating. Some weeks they looked like the best team in the NFL and other weeks like an average squad that could lose to just about anyone; including the Detroit Lions back in Week 15 as two-touchdown favorites.

Now, heading into the 2022-23 season, the Cardinals find themselves way down the odds board. Perhaps a little too far down if you ask me. Arizona is currently +3000 to win the Super Bowl next year over at WynnBET Sportsbook; tied with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. They have longer odds than the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, and a slew of other teams.

This may seem like a drastic slide for a very good team, but I totally agree with the oddsmakers' consensus. I wrote frequently about the Cardinals this year but no article made me second guess this team more than one I wrote about their head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Throughout his entire career, dating all the way back to his first year in college, teams that he coaches are awful in the second half of the season. To sum up his record, Kingsbury is 42-20-1 in the first seven weeks of the year, NFL and college. But, from Week 8 onward, Kingsbury is 16-43 all time. That is a 27.12 win rate after Week 7 dating all the way back to 2013. 

What's even more remarkable is Kingsbury has somehow passed this onto Kyler Murray. Murray has flashes of MVP quality play early in the year and then fizzled out down the stretch. This year we can say injuries were involved but the trend is still the same.

I wish this wasn’t the case as I really like this team and was rooting for them last year. But, until they can close out the season the way they close out games in the first half, I can’t trust them.

Coffee is for closers but so are future bets, and the Cardinals aren’t getting either from me.