As we stand right now, there is no better team in the NFL than the Arizona Cardinals. No, not the Buccaneers, the Chiefs, Bills, Packers or Rams, the Cardinals. Their record proves their worth, if you look around different NFL stats sites, you’ll see that the numbers back them up as well, there’s no denying it, the Cardinals are playing the best football in the NFL this season thus far. But is it too early to get behind the idea that the Cardinals might just be the perfect team this season to rival the Buccaneers, Rams, and Chiefs for NFL supremacy?
In the past, Arizona has sadly been one of those teams who after achieving greatness, fall, hard and unexpectedly, without any real understanding given how well they can play football from time to time. So, while it might be a bit early to start making the “Cardinals to the Super Bowl” banners, let’s talk about some of the major reasons behind their early success in the 2021 season.
They Hit The Market and Draft and Came Out Winning
After a 2020 season that saw the Arizona Cardinals finish with an 8-8 record and moving towards yet another season that could’ve seen them stay as a middle of the pack team in the NFC, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said enough with being middle of the pack, let’s be leaders in our conference. Be it via the free agency and trade market or the 2021 draft the Arizona Cardinals were able to bring in the perfect mix of seasoned, battle-proven veterans alongside some explosive rookie talents that combined have helped this team reach a new and unparalleled horizon throughout the first span of the season.
Keim had a mission, to take Arizona and place them right in the middle of Super Bowl title contention conversations and with his moves, he started doing so in great fashion. His first blockbuster moves were to bring in former Texans leaders and legends WR DeAndre Hopkins and DE J.J. Watt. It was more than clear that both of these players have what it takes to be pivotal parts of a championship-ridden team and that if they would’ve stayed in Houston, they would’ve never been able to get even close to any championship talks. After that the additions of C Rodney Hudson, which has caused a complete overhaul of the Cardinals O-line and the gutsy moves to bring in A.J. Green as well as James Conner, which have both paid off in great dividends, Keim seriously knocked it out of the park in the free agency and trade market.
But he didn’t stop there, Arizona’s draft picks in 2021 have shown that they can hang with the big boys with no problem. Two players stand out above all, with former Florida CB Marco Wilson has proven to be one of the steals in the draft and WR Rondale Moore becoming another top quality weapon for Kyler Murray to dominate with on offense.
Their Roster Is Solid Everywhere You Look At It From
Take a look at Arizona’s roster and you’ll see that all and all, it’s one of the most talented, powerful, and yet balanced squads in the league. They have studs all over the place and after their key additions during the offseason, everything has ended up paying in great dividends for Arizona. If you look at the offense, Kyler Murray has stepped up to show that Arizona does not need to worry at all about finding a franchise QB for the future. If you add to that a receiver core with guys like Hopkins, Kirk, Green, and Moore and a running back group with Conner and Chase Edmonds, this team has all the tools to blow opposing defenses out of the water and put up points on the board like it’s nobody’s business.
But what might be even better, if that’s possible it’s their defense. When you’re able to take a core of veterans like J.J. Watt, Chandler Jones, Zach Allen, Jordan Phillips, Dennis Gardeck, and Markus Golden and mix them in with young talents like Isaiah Simmons, rookie Zaven Collins, Marco Wilson to name a few players, you know you’ll have a defense that will be an elite unit from everywhere you see it. It’s not regularly that you see a team so stacked yet balanced throughout all of their lines, and this Arizona Cardinals team has balance and power going on everywhere in their roster.
Kyler Murray Finally Found His Groove
Ever since joining the league out of Oklahoma the hype surrounding Kyler Murray has been strong and ever-present. As time continued to go by, the inevitable doubters of Murray’s talents started to hover around Arizona, leading the Cardinals to believe that Murray would end up becoming one of those gifted college players that never fully blooms in the pros. Well, in 2021 Murray took all the hate and criticism, shoved it up where the sun doesn’t shine, and showed everybody in the league that he can ball like it’s nobody’s business.
His playing level alongside his dominance in all parts of the field, especially in the pocket has already put him in MVP conversations around the league. If you look around, you’ll see it’s very hard to find a young QB with the time management skills and decision-making prowesses that Murray possesses. The man is as cool as a cucumber even while in Arizona and he seems to keep getting better and better every week. If you watch the Cardinals offense in action, it almost feels like they make everything look too easy and unfair for their rivals and it’s all thanks to Murray.