<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3rTSVB_0vDaHaiO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3rTSVB_0vDaHaiO00" width="1000" height="600" ></figure>Do not sleep on the Arizona Cardinals this season. This team will be in nearly every single game this year thanks to the offense alone. While it might be tough sledding early on, the young Cards can afford to learn to win before an easier second half of the season. A rejuvenated and healthy Kyler Muray, an improved offensive line and a slew of underrated weapons will propel Arizona to the seventh seed in the NFC. Let’s break it down.​This team’s success relies heavily on this potential high-powered offense putting up a ton of points every Sunday. The 2024 season will be Kyler Murray’s first healthy year since 2021 where he played in 14 games. Murray returned for the second half of last year and played well. The now sixth-year quarterback threw for 1,799 yards and 10 touchdowns with five interceptions in eight games a year ago. Murray also ran 44 times for 244 yards and a trio of touchdowns while not losing a fumble. Those numbers translate to 3,598 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 488 rushing yards and six rushing TDs over a 16-game slate.​Murray also has a slew of new weapons at his disposal. Marvin Harrison Jr. was taken fourth overall in this year’s draft and will make an immediate major impact on this team. Harrison was dynamic to say the least at Ohio State the past two seasons. The 22-year-old played in 13 games in each of his final two collegiate years. 2022 saw Harrison haul in 72 catches for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns while 2023 saw the receiver catch 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns.Harrison will now play in three or four more games than he did the last two years with a quarterback that has proven he can extend the play when necessary. That, combined with the immense talent he has as a pass catcher and playmaker, will make Murray and Harrison a dynamic QB-WR duo this year and beyond.​The rookie receiver is not the only pass-catching threat for this offense. Tight end Trey McBride burst onto the scene in the back-half of last season. McBride and Murray instantly clicked upon Kyler’s return. The 24-year-old’s “breakout game’’ did come just before Murray’s return where he had 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown against Baltimore. However, in the final eight games of 2023, McBride hauled in at least six catches and registered more than 40 yards in six of those final eight games while going over 100 yards twice including against an elite 49ers defense.Second-year receiver Michael Wilson will also be a large part of the offensive game plan in 2024. While he battled injuries in 2023, he played in five of the team’s final eight games and was targeted six times in half of those games. Hecombined 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown over his final two games last year. Wilson is an extremely attractive breakout candidate for this team.​Arizona also features a high skill running back duo. James Connor was a 1,000+ yard rusher for the first time in his career in 2023 and did it in just 13 games. The veteran back also grabbed 27 catches for 165 yards last season. The question with Connor remains whether he will stay healthy or not. If he is not able to remain on the field, Arizona now features rookie runner Trey Benson. The 22-year-old rushed for over 900 years in each of his last two college seasons with Florida State. Benson can also catch the ball out of the backfield and find the endzone with 15 total TDs in 2023.Arizona’s offensive line also remains criminally underrated. 2022 sixth overall pick Paris Johnson Jr. will be moving back to left tackle this year. Johnson played his best on the left in his final year with Ohio State. He played every single snap for the Cardinals on the right side a year ago. The Cardinals also made a splash in free agency, signing solid veteran tackle Jonah Williams to play on the wide side of the line.Hjalte Froholdt also broke out as the starting center for Arizona in 2023, playing in all 17 games as well. Filling the guard positions will be Evan Brown and Will Hernandez. Brown has played in all but five games over the last four seasons around the NFL while Hernandez was another 17-game starter in 2023. This unit has the potential to be above average this year. An above-average offensive line for this team will work wonders with how dynamic this offense stacks up to be.FOR MORE NFL CONTENT, CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:Blake Corum Will Be the Top Running Back for the Los Angeles …Kendre Miller Will be the Dallas Cowboys Starting Running Back in …Defense is where this team will falter throughout the year. The Cardinals have the potential to be a consensus bottom-five unit if the worst-case scenario occurs. While it will also be a lot of work to just get to an average NFL defense, this unit can still survive and do just enough for the offense to win it most games. Success in 2024 for the Cardinal defense will be determined by timely stops and forced turnovers. The team has some known names on the roster like Zaven Collins, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Budda Baker but will need others to step up.Arizona will look for multiple young defenders to fill their weak points. 2024 second-round pick Max Melton will likely start at corner following four seasons at Rutgers while second-year corner Garrett Williams will also be looked to for supporting the secondary. A boost in production in year two for 24-year-old defensive lineman Dante Stills would also work wonders for this team. Finally, the continued growth in production from safety Jalen Thompson could push the unit over the line of being just good enough for the Cardinals to win those close games where the team needs either a big stop or a big turnover.Arizona’s 2024 schedule gives the team a realistic avenue to the postseason. The first six games for the Cardinals will not be easy. The team travels to Buffalo, San Francisco and Green Bay while hosting Detroit, the LA Rams and Washington. A 2-4 record in the opening six games will be the minimum necessary for Jonathan Gannon’s side. Arizona’s schedule then begins to lighten up with more winnable contests. The Chargers and Bears at home along with road games in Miami and against the Jets get the Cards to the bye. A 2-2 record in those four games would get them to 4-6. While that record may not look very favorable, the last seven games are.The Cardinals head to Seattle and Minnesota immediately after their bye week before hosting Seattle and New England. Arizona finishes the season at Carolina, at the Rams and at home against San Francisco. Murray and company will likely have to go 5-2 in these final seven games to get to the necessary 9-8 I believe will be enough to sneak into the playoffs. That 5-2 record is exactly what I see this team doing. A split with the Seahawks, wins against the awful Vikings, Panthers and Patriots and a loss against the Rams get the Cards to 8-8 with one game to play. The 49ers will have both the NFC West and NFC Playoff seeding clinched up by this team meaning the backups will play a desperate Arizona side. The Cardinal starters beat the 49ers backups to finish 9-8 and as the seventh seed in the NFC.The Cardinal season will end in an ugly Wild Card Round loss in San Francisco against the real version of the 49ers the following week. While it will be an ugly ending in the first round, making the playoffs in 2024-25 will both be a major accomplishment and a big steppingstone for a young and exciting team. Get Arizona a defense next season and they could make some serious noise in the NFC.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

The Arizona Cardinals Will Shock the NFL and Make the Playoffs

Do not sleep on the Arizona Cardinals this season. This team will be in nearly every single game this year thanks to the offense alone. While it might be tough sledding early on, the young Cards can afford to learn to win before an easier second half of the season. A rejuvenated and healthy Kyler Muray, an improved offensive line and a slew of underrated weapons will propel Arizona to the seventh seed in the NFC. Let’s break it down.