The Arizona Cardinals have a great coach in Bruce Arians, and they have Carson Palmer under center. Larry Fitzgerald is practically ageless as a receiver, and they have David Johnson running the ball. This offense has its core three that can take the team far this season, and they will rely on David Johnson to rush for 1000 yards and receive for 1000 more yards. The combination of the two will give Carson Palmer time to throw downfield to Larry Fitzgerald, and this team could compete for a wild card spot that seems out of reach at the moment.
Johnson makes the difference
If Johnson begins flirting with amazing stats that equal 2000 total yards for the season, we must consider the Cardinals a wild card contender. They could leap frog over a team like Tampa because they have an easier division to navigate. The Bucs must fight through the NFC South, but the Cardinals have two really bad teams in their division and a Seahawks team they can beat. Hope is on the side of the Cardinals, but the hope will not spring until Johnson shows that he is prepared to have a historically good season.
The passing game
The passing game in Arizona should be very good, but they must use their passing game to create quick scoring so that they can get off the field and protect Carson Palmer.
The Cardinals have a good offensive line, but Carson Palmer is old enough to raise concerns about him getting seriously hurt on one bad hit. If Carson is upright for most of the season, the Cardinals will be very good. The concern is that Palmer could get hurt bad enough to hamper their whole season, and their window for winning a Super Bowl could close.
Breaking plays
David Johnson needs to break as many plays as possible to ensure that the Cardinals are not relying solely on passing. Johnson needs as many yards after the catch as possible, and he must break plays that will shorten drives. The Cardinals can get back on the field if their defense will stop their opponents, and they can turn to David Johnson once again.
He could become a menace that other teams do not want to mess with, and this will show the Cardinals that they are more than capable of competing for their division title.
Sneaking in
Sneaking into the playoffs is possible when the Cardinals follow this plan, and there are many scenarios in which the Cardinals could jump over the Seattle Seahawks to win their division. Bruce Arians has all the pieces, but he must deliver soon.
