NFC West: Previewing 49ers division rivals ahead of 2017 season
By Peter Panacy
Arizona Cardinals
2016 Record: 7-8-1, Second Place in NFC West
The 2016 Cardinals were supposed to be a serious contender for a conference title after falling short in the previous year’s NFC Championship game to the Carolina Panthers.
Yet a 7-8-1 record and a series of underachieving, inconsistent performances over the course of last year prompted questions whether or not head coach Bruce Arians’ squad was trending in the wrong direction or merely hit one of those “hiccup” years teams can have.
Despite the record, Arizona’s defense still managed to be dominant, at least in yards allowed. The Cardinals finished with the second-best yards-against mark (4,883) in the NFL in 2016 and boasted a league-leading 48 sacks.
But the biggest wonder will be if veteran quarterback Carson Palmer, at 37 years old, stays healthy enough over the course of the season.
Offseason Moves
The Cardinals inked a few former 49ers this offseason, including kicker Phil Dawson and safety Antoine Bethea.
Bethea is intended to help the free-agent loss of safety Tony Jefferson, but the Cardinals also hope safety Budda Baker — selected No. 36 overall in the NFL Draft — emerges as the long-term solution.
Linebacker Haason Reddick also beefs up the front seven, which is already dominant enough despite the loss of veteran defensive end Calais Campbell to free agency. And keeping EDGE Chandler Jones, who had 11 of those 48 sacks last year, on the franchise tag was a wise move.
2017 Schedule
| Day | Date | Opp | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regu | Regu | Regu | Regu | Regu | Regu |
| Sun | September 10 | 1:00PM ET | @ | Detroit Lions | preview |
| Sun | September 17 | 1:00PM ET | @ | Indianapolis Colts | preview |
| Mon | September 25 | 8:30PM ET | Dallas Cowboys | preview | |
| Sun | October 1 | 4:05PM ET | San Francisco 49ers | preview | |
| Sun | October 8 | 1:00PM ET | @ | Philadelphia Eagles | preview |
| Sun | October 15 | 4:05PM ET | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | preview | |
| Sun | October 22 | 1:00PM ET | @ | Los Angeles Rams | preview |
| Bye Week | |||||
| Sun | November 5 | 4:05PM ET | @ | San Francisco 49ers | preview |
| Thu | November 9 | 8:25PM ET | Seattle Seahawks | preview | |
| Sun | November 19 | 1:00PM ET | @ | Houston Texans | preview |
| Sun | November 26 | 4:25PM ET | Jacksonville Jaguars | preview | |
| Sun | December 3 | 4:25PM ET | Los Angeles Rams | preview | |
| Sun | December 10 | 4:05PM ET | Tennessee Titans | preview | |
| Sun | December 17 | 1:00PM ET | @ | Washington Redskins | preview |
| Sun | December 24 | 4:25PM ET | New York Giants | preview | |
| Sun | December 31 | 4:25PM ET | @ | Seattle Seahawks | preview |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/15/2017.
The Cardinals boast the 23rd toughest schedule this season with opponents’ 2016 winning percentages combining to .467.
Aside from a handful of two-game stretches (Weeks 10 and 11, 16 and 17), there aren’t exactly a lot of games to circle on Arizona’s schedule as being problematic.
2017 Prognosis
This year will reveal the exact direction the Cardinals are headed after a disappointing 2016 campaign.
An aging Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are two of the more pressing concerns, and the former’s health will be a main topic over the course of this year. It isn’t as if backup quarterbacks Drew Stanton and/or Blaine Gabbert inspire a lot of confidence.
But look for running back David Johnson to be a larger focal point for the offense this season. He’s already shown he’s the real deal, and using him should take a lot of pressure off Palmer.