Predicting The Arizona Cardinals Record: Weeks 3 & 4
by Andrew602 on May 12, 2010 4:39 PM MDT
in Record Predictions
37 comments
In our last segment, I predicted that the Cardinals would open the season on the road at St. Louis with a win, and then would travel to Atlanta to pull out a win in a tough road game, beginning the season 2-0. This week things get tougher when the Cardinals open their first two games at home against half of the AFC West.
Week 3 - vs Oakland Raiders
Key Additions: Michael Bennett(RB), Kyle Boller(QB), Rock Cartwright(RB), Chris Cooper(DL), John Owens(TE), Joey Thomas(DB), Rolando McClain(ILB), Jason Campbell(QB)
Key Losses: Kirk Morrison(ILB), JaMarcus Russell(QB), Greg Ellis(DE), Justin Fargas(RB), Cornell Green(OT), Javon Walker(WR), Gerard Warren(DT)
Offseason Analysis:The Raiders perhaps had one of the most productive offseasons in their recent history. They recorded one of the best drafts in 2010 when they landed Rolando McClain in the first round and were able to steal Bruce Campbell in the later rounds. They were able to dump JaMarcus Russell and Javon Walker and their huge contracts as well. The Raiders also made a trade for Jason Campbell and appear to be moving out of the basement of their division.
Season Outlook: 2010 will be an interesting year for the Raiders. They recorded some upsets last season and have talent on both sides of the ball. Drafting McClain, franchising Richard Seymour, and already having the best cornerback in the league - Nnamdi Asomugha - gives Oakland one of the top defenses in the league. If their offense can take advantage of all the former first round picks they've drafted, they can be a surprise team in 2010.
Key Match-Up: Larry Fitzgerald vs Nnamdi Asomugha - The best wide receiver versus the best cornerback in the NFL will fight for the best position in what will be the most watched match up of the game. Nmadi has established himself as a shutdown corner in the league and we all know what Fitzgerald brings to the table. Who will get the best of who?
Prediction:Win - The Cardinals jump out to a 3-0 record on the season. Although it seems very unlikely now, consider that the Cardinals first three games are not against the upper echelon of teams in the league. This game is the home opener and the crowd should be pumped, especially since their last game at University of Phoenix Stadium was the amazing overtime win against the Packers in the playoffs this past year. The Cardinals will also be ready to defend their home field.
Week 4 - at San Diego Chargers
Key Additions: Nathan Vasher(CB), Donald Strickland(CB), Marcus Mason(RB), Ryan Matthews(RB)
Key Losses: Antonio Cromartie(CB), LaDanian Tomlinson(RB), Jamal Williams(DT), Michael Bennett(RB), Charlie Whitehurst(QB), Brandon Manumaleuna(TE), Kassim Osgood(WR)
Offseason Analysis: The Chargers had a similar offseason to the Cardinals as far as losses go. They departed with three big names in Tomlinson, Cromartie, and Williams. They also had an interesting draft when they reached for Ryan Matthews midway through the first round. Only time will tell if the losses hurt their chances in 2010.
Season Outlook: The Chargers are still the clear favorite to win the division next season. Although the Broncos and Raiders have made strides to retool their team, the Chargers feature the division's best quarterback and have a plethora of talent on the defensive side of the ball. As long as they can take care of their division, they shouldn't have a problem earning yet another playoff berth.
Key Match-Up: Cardinals defensive line vs Chargers offensive line - The Chargers offensive line is one of the most physical lines in the league and will be the first real test for the Cardinals big three. Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, and rookie Dan Williams will line up for a challenge and this is a huge match up to look out for.
Prediction: Loss - The Cardinals will suffer their first loss of the season against the Chargers four weeks into the season. San Diego won't necessarily blow out the Cardinals but they should match up well and pose potential problems for the Cardinals defense with Phillip Rivers at quarterback.
The Cardinals first two home game will go as expected, with them beating the Raiders and falling to the Chargers the following week. Starting off 3-1 is certainly the best way to open the first month of the season, and the Cardinals could be staring 2-2 in the face at the very worst. The Cardinals have the pleasure of featuring the league's easiest schedule, and it will show by week five.
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I see the Raiders game as an easy win, even with them having a better QB now.
The Chargers game depends on if they are slow getting out of the gate again.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
I agree with you
I think we’ll start the first month 3-1, although the Atlanta game will be hard. As for the Charger game, we could pull it off if our defense is good enough to slow down San Diego’s offense.
3-1 isn’t bad at all. I’m hoping Matt Leinart pulls through for us!
Cardinals after 4 weeks, 4-0.
Shouldn’t happen. Sounds insane. The Chargers should come in and stuff the Cardinals. I’m calling the upset. The key to San Diego is Phillip Rivers. The Cards will shut him down and force the win onto the shoulders of a rookie running back. The Cardinals squeek out a stunning win at home.
The Raiders did the best thing they could and dumped Russell. It won’t be enough. The Cardinals rack up home win number one.
Moving into week 5 the Cardinals look amazing… but the dreaded Saints loom on the horizon. Prepare for meltdown before the respite of the bye week. I still think they have a hard time going over 10-6. Maybe 11-5 but I feel that’s pushing. They will falter somewhere down the line against less than stellar competition.
The beauty of the Cardinals schedule is that they can easily take the division
It’s just a matter of how Leinart will play and if the defense can actually defend.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
I see the Cards losing 2 of their first three games
But coming back to beat the Chargers its what the Cardinals do, they have a habbit of losing to bad teams and coming back to beat the good ones.
Remember no matter where you go in life...there you are!
Agree
Although it’s never easy to predict when they’ll blow a “for sure” win.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
Happened all the time last year.
Beating the Giants, then having the 5 Pick game against the Panthers.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
If only every team we played was great theyed go 16-0
Remember no matter where you go in life...there you are!
i'm with hadrarius on this one! 4-0
i think both games could be tough but like andrew – the home opener the cards will be pumped so the raiders go down.
i think key to the chargers game is just as hadrarius said of shutting down rivers which is a tough task but one that i think the cards can and will do.
Sorry guys I know you think I am a Cards hater but I still think the loss of Warner – Dansby etc. is to much to over come. This is a QB driven league Cards 2-2 maybe 1-3 depending on Leinart.
From ESPN NFC West Blog: "AccuScore played the NFC West season 10,000 times, first with Warner and then without him.
The Cardinals went from averaging 10.8 victories with Warner to 7.2 victories without him, making Warner worth 3.6 victories per season relative to backup Matt Leinart. While Warner throws roughly twice as many touchdown passes as interceptions, the AccuScore people think Leinart’s ratio will come in closer to even.
“Leinart’s inability to complete passes downfield has AccuScore forecasting a pass TD-to-INT ratio of just 20 to 16 despite completing 64.5 percent of his passes in 2010 simulations,” …
The simulations showed the 2010 Cardinals winning the division title 76.1 percent of the time if Warner had not retired, with the 49ers winning 22.9 percent of the time. The Seahawks and Rams had virtually no chance with Warner part of the equation. Taking away Warner made San Francisco the division winner 73.5 percent of the time…"
That is like using Madden 11 as an accurate predictor of how games will turn out.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
thank god for someone to speak the truth! lorenzothedog i am sorry but that accuscore is not so accurate!
if you really think that tells the story then well… well… you’ve lost out on accuracy!
if you trust this accuscore
you should put your paycheck on the winners it predicts everyweek.
by fansincejakenrob on May 13, 2010 10:59 AM MDT up reply actions
Wait
So you’re saying the Cardinals would lose to either the Rams or Raiders?
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
I am saying the Cards could lose to the Raiders – I think Raiders are better than a lot of people give them credit for. Losing their QB is a PLUS losing our QB is a minus. I am not sold on Leinart yet. We just lost so much in the off season – Warner brought leadership and experience – Boldin brought toughness to the offense coupled with our other player loses I am not as convinced as you guys that we have filled the voids left by those players I will have to see results on the field first.
by lorenzothedog on May 13, 2010 10:11 AM MDT up reply actions
When some leave
Others step up. Though still I think we are an 8-8/9-7 team at best. We are expecting to many rookies to step up.
Despite that and disregarding our other losses, Warner was the biggest loss. But as others have mentioned; I won’t miss those games where Warner just fell apart. Carolina, SF (5 TO’s in both), etc. Sure he was excellent, but he also hindered our run game. His desire to pass so much led us to having one of the least attempts rushing in the league. And remember both RB’s averaged over 4.4 YPC… Lets see what happens when we develop a run game behind our new and beefed up line.
They are who we thought they were!
Good point
With an improved running game, that will in turn, help Matt Leinart.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
Boldin did bring a mental toughness
His body just hasn’t been able to withstand it. The way he was playing down the back stretch of last season was exciting. Unfortunately you just couldn’t count on the guy making it through. He started off beat up, got healthy, then finished beat up worse. Too many seasons with too many injuries. The loss of Boldin and Rolle don’t bother me.
I can understand if you think we'll lose to the Raiders lorenzothedog
but don’t base that on the performance of the two qb’s.
First of all it seems like you’re looking at the match-up like a game in Madden. Leinart is heavily favored if you add in all the intangibles. 3 years in this particular season, watched a future hall of fame quarterback and learned from him, amazing supporting cast, etc.
On the other hand you have Campbell, new team and certainly new offensive coordinator for each year he’s been in the league, no supporting cast whatsoever, only hope is if their defense plays out of their mind.
I just don’t see how a valid argument could be made about the smart money being on the Raiders.
by cardsfanforlife24 on May 15, 2010 2:02 PM MDT up reply actions
*3 years in this particular system
by cardsfanforlife24 on May 15, 2010 2:03 PM MDT up reply actions
They could easily go 2-2.
I have a hard time seeing 1-3 against that competition. The AccuScore thing isn’t something I put much faith in. They can run the season 10 thousand times over and over with whatever variables they want. Only one time counts. I see Leinart performing better than previously. He’s had the time to develop and this team, under Whisenhunt, has changed character dramatically. They won’t be giving up games without a fight. Although I do still expect a debacle or two. We had those even with Warner. I just don’t think the statistics tell the whole story with Leinart.
So will the Niners...
Davis is overrated, all Niner fans think they are going to win the conference because they drafted two lineman who are rookies and haven’t proved themselves yet, yet think they will dominate from day 1 and they all think Smith is finally going to be good, miraculously.
Remember when you lost to Seattle last year? I do, because I remember sweeping them. So what you swept us? We swept you in 08 and we won the conference both years.
When was the last time you had a winning record?
Thanks for stopping by.
They are who we thought they were!
The other thing
to account for is that it’s really difficult to predict which games will be wins, which will be losses. It’s much easier to get the overall record than it is to specify how it will be done. Most, including a lot of those here, didn’t see us hammering Minnesota and we sure as hell didn’t see us losing the following week to an average 49’er team. AccuScore is a hoax, let it predict who the so-called national champion is in college, since that seems to be more along their lines of choosing how it’s decided.
whats funny
is this “fan” joined sbn yesterday, and has done more commenting on ROTB than Ninersfaithful.
LOL!
by fansincejakenrob on May 13, 2010 10:57 AM MDT up reply actions
Did Niner Nation only
program one sentence in you?
If not, feel free to explain your “thought” on how we’re going 0-4?
Cause we aren't the 49ers, therefore we suck?
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
You're right 49ers rule!
The Cardinals WILL go 0-4…….
And then we WILL go on a 15 game win streak locking Matt Leinart’s name into the history books as a Super Bowl Champion!!!!
Then we will lose the next 4 games again…. in the 2011 preseason….
Then go 19-0, finishing what the Patriots could not and completing the perfect season under the direction of Matt “Cold Face Killah” Leinart!!!
You’re retarded fuck off troll.
by cardsfanforlife24 on May 15, 2010 11:27 AM MDT up reply actions
Cardinals-Chargers
Not sure if anyone said this already, but the game against the Chargers is in San Diego.
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