Early Thoughts (Week 13): Arizona Cardinals: Lurking in the NFC

The Carolina Panthers are garnering a lot of attention and rightfully so. But to dismiss that team in the desert would be a cardinal error.

Dec 6, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Rams during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

They entered NFL Week 13 with the league’s top-ranked offense and the fifth-ranked defense while also leading the NFL in points scored.

The Carolina Panthers?

The New England Patriots?

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Fantasy Football: 5 Must Starts for Week 13 and Why

It’s not a super shock that the Arizona Cardinals are having a very successful season. But with so much attention being drawn by some of the other clubs in the NFL (and deservedly so), don’t sleep on Bruce Arians’ team, which maintains a three-game lead in the NFC West these days.

With Sunday’s impressive win over the Rams, the Cards not only avenged one of their two losses this season, the team just completed a three-game road sweep of their divisional rivals over the last four weeks with victories at Seattle (39-32), San Francisco (19-13) and St. Louis (27-3).

All told, 2014 would prove to be a frustrating year for this franchise, who despite all kinds of injury issues forged a 9-1 record after 10 games and eventually tied a team record for regular-season wins (11) in a season.

Down to their third-string quarterback, the Cardinals set some disappointing league history in the playoffs at Carolina as the team gained a NFL postseason record-low 78 total yards in the 27-16 Wild Card loss to the Panthers.

Dec 6, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) passes as guard Ted Larsen (62) defends against St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers (90) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

So far this season, quarterback Carson Palmer has remained healthy. In 12 games this year (twice as many contests than he managed to play in during ’14), he’s hit on 63.9 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards and 29 scores while being picked off only nine times. That means dating back to 2013, the veteran signal-caller is now an impressive 23-4 in his last 27 starts, throwing more than twice as many touchdown passes (56) as interceptions (21).

But let’s focus on the here and now. Arians’ confident squad is riding a six-game winning streak and is now just two victories away from setting a franchise victory for regular-season wins.

More from NFL Spin Zone

The Cardinals have totaled 382 points and 41 offensive touchdowns in a dozen outings this season, compared to 310 points and 27 offensive touchdowns a year ago. The ground attack, now down Chris Johnson and with Andre Ellington inactive on Sunday, relied on rookie David Johnson and unsung Kerwynn Williams, who combined who for 158 of the team’s 175 rushing yards against the Rams.

This season, Arizona is averaging a solid 120.2 yards per game on the ground, quite an improvement for a club that managed a mere 81.8 yards per game rushing last season – second-worst in the NFL in 2014.

On defense, the Cards don’t overwhelm you with gaudy numbers, totaling a respectable 22 takeaways and 21 sacks. But they respond with big plays thanks to the likes of defensive end Calais Campbell, linebackers Deone Bucannon, Kevin Minter and Alex Okafor and a secondary that includes Patrick Peterson, Rashad Johnson and Tyrann Mathieu.

Next: Fantasy Football: Top 10 Sleepers for Week 13

This is a very talented team that has come together quite well as the season has unfolded. And while other clubs in the conference have perhaps gotten a little more press, it’s Arians and his Cardinals that continue to impress.

Home/Arizona Cardinals