The Arizona Cardinals will be making the playoffs despite tonight's ugly win that dropped them to 7-5 and delayed their clinching of the NFC West by at least another week. However, the blowout loss against the Eagles tonight prompted a very serious question, one that will tell us if the Cardinals will be an actual threat capable of making a run in the playoffs: are they really a good team with their offensive firepower, or simply a product of a ridiculously weak division?
Seeing tonight's game, I might have to go with the latter, an opinion I didn't have just three weeks ago. I doubt they can beat any of the NFC East teams; with the last two games against the Giants and Eagles, I'm going to bet that most NFC playoff teams believe the same.
Sure, they obviously have the big weapons on offense. Regardless of the struggles tonight, Kurt Warner is still a very good quarterback with very good receivers. The problem is, though, the lack of a running game. They don't have a good back, as Tim Hightower won't be gaining very many yards when facing defenses like the Eagles. Overall, they seem kind of soft compared to other teams in the NFC. Being one-dimensional and winning in the playoffs don't go hand and hand very often.
And on defense, they have far too many breakdowns and get punched in the mouth too many times to stop offenses like the Cowboys, Giants or Saints.
Lastly, look at the teams they've beaten on the road: the Rams, 49er's and Seahawks, obviously benefitting from the weak division. I understand that they may be playing at home in the playoffs, which possibly helps them to win a game. But, they won't be the top seed, and once they are forced to go into an opponent's stadium, their lack of big away wins and the offensive and defensive deficiences will stop them from doing much.
I could be wrong, but again, the Cardinals really do appear to be a decent team in an awful division that is looking better than it really is, a misconception that is revealed when they face better competition.. And no, I won't be changing by mind after they beat up on the Rams next week.
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My question is, what on earth is happening with Edgerrin James? Yes, I know he wants out of Arizona, and the team is trying to develop Tim Hightower. But for crying out loud, the guy was a 1,000-yard rusher last year. Surely it was worth giving him some touches against Philly?
(Or is he injured?)
I have not jumped on their bandwagon all year, and I certainly will not jump on it now. They are fortunate they play in the west, because they would not be going to the playoffs if they played in any other division.