Opinion: The Cardinals Will be Aggressively Average Once Again

Sep 8

Ever since drafting Kyler Murray in 2019, Arizona sports fans have had high hopes for the Cardinals to make a deep playoff run, yet year after year, we end up disappointed.

Their record under Kliff Kingsbury and Murray has improved every year throughout their first three seasons, including an 11-win season last and securing a wild card berth. However, I don't see them winning more than nine or 10 games this season, and at best, they will lose in the first round of the playoffs.

It doesn’t help that they have arguably the hardest schedule in the NFL this season, with four matchups against the loaded AFC West and two games each against the Rams and 49ers. I do not think they would find much success against these teams.

The biggest problem the Cardinals have is a lack of leadership. Usually, the quarterback's job is to lead the team and motivate each and every player to be better, and Murray lacks this quality. In the most recent offseason, Murray refused to attend the team’s voluntary workouts until he received a new contract that paid him what he felt he deserved.

Murray became frustrated with the Cardinals Organization following their 34-11 playoff loss to the Rams back in January, as he felt he became a scapegoat for the loss. Considering he went 19-34 for 137 yards, two interceptions, and zero touchdowns, he was a big factor in the loss.

It takes a strong person to admit responsibility in such an embarrassing loss, and seeing that Murray got mad that he was blamed for the loss proves that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a strong leader for this team. It was also surreal seeing Cardinals Safety Budda Baker lay unconscious on the field after a massive hit, and every single player on the Cardinals bench went over and circled around Baker as he was carted off the field.

Every player that is, except for Murray. Murray lacks the foundational leadership that a franchise player needs to have in the NFL in order for their team dynamic to be successful.

The real leader of the Cardinals last season was JJ Watt. His years of experience as an elite DE in the NFL led the Cardinals to success in the beginning of the season, until he tore his labrum, bicep and rotator cuff, as well as dislocating his shoulder against the Texans on October 24. The Cardinals were 7-0 in the seven games that Watt played, and they went 4-6 through the last ten games.

Although he could be a leader off the field, it is clear that his on field leadership helped shape the defense drastically. Without him on the field, the Cardinals seemed to have fallen apart, and no one else stepped up to fill his shoes, costing them big time. If Watt can stay healthy for a majority of this season, maybe the Cardinals will have a chance in the playoffs. However, it will take more than just him to keep the team locked in.

The next big problem for the Cardinals is their head coach, Kingsbury. It has been shown time and time again that he is not cut out for an NFL head coaching job. Even at Texas Tech University, Kingsbury couldn’t get more than one game above .500 except in his first year. If that isn’t bad enough, he was given one of the best quarterback prospects in NFL history for three straight seasons, and only finished with a winning record once. If he can’t find success with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, then he isn’t going to find it at all. If the Cardinals can’t figure out a way to make a playoff run this season, Kingsbury will be fired in a heartbeat.

Lastly, the Cardinals are without Deandre Hopkins for the first six games of the season. He was critical to the success of the team last year, and when he got injured in Week 14 against the Rams, the entire team collapsed, and went 1-4 the rest of the season. I hope our other receivers will step up while he’s out, but they will have big shoes to fill, especially Hollywood Brown, who was acquired from the Ravens on the night of the NFL Draft.

As a lifelong Cardinals fan, I want them to be successful, but as a lifelong Cardinals fan, I know to not get my hopes up.