Predicting The Arizona Cardinals 2010 Record: Weeks 16 & 17
by Andrew602 on Jun 24, 2010 3:59 PM MDT
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In our final installment of predicting the Arizona Cardinals 2010 record (hard to believe I started this two months ago, right?), we'll finish with the final two games of the season. Last week, we saw the Cardinals beat the Broncos at home while falling to the always-difficult Carolina Panthers on the road. This week could be the most crucial, as the Cardinals face a good Cowboys team at home and play the division rival San Francisco 49ers on the road to end the season. Winning these games could mean winning the division in 2010.
If you wish to see the previous 14 weeks, head over here.
Week 16 vs Dallas Cowboys
Key Additions: Dez Bryant (WR), Kevin Brock (TE)
Key Losses: Flozell Adams (T), Ken Hamlin (S), Cory Procter (C), Matt Stewart (LB), Shaun Suisham (K)
Offseason Analysis: The Dallas Cowboys were surprisingly one of the quietest teams in the league as opposed to years past. There hasn't been much drama up to this point, other than Roy Williams' obvious issues with denial and Tony Romo's PGA dreams. The team lost some role players through free agency, but their biggest offseason acquisition was the drafting of high-profile wide out Dez Bryant. Bryant will give Romo another big-play threat on offense, something that he benefited from last year with the emergence of receiver Miles Austin and the stable of running backs they possess. The team failed to address some holes along the offensive line and the defense, holes that stemmed from their 34-3 playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings last season.
Season Outlook: After finally earning a playoff win in nearly 15 years against the Eagles last season, the Cowboys have something to build off of heading into 2010. Jerry Jones may have learned that too many flashy players can become distracting, and that sticking to football 101 can pay off in the long run. They're set on offense, and if their defense can pressure opposing quarterbacks and defend against the pass, they should be bound for another run at the playoffs next year.
Key Match-Up: Adrian Wilson vs Jason Witten - The x-factor on offense for the Cowboys is Jason Witten. He can block and catch with the best of them and he is Tony Romo's security blanket. He can also butcher defenses and it will be Wilson's job to defend against him.
Prediction: Win - In a Saturday contest on Christmas night, the Cardinals will give a present to their fans with a win over the Cowboys. When these two teams played each other two seasons ago, the Cowboys were heavily favored to win, only for the Cardinals to win one of the most exciting games in their history. The same will happen this year.
A prediction against the 49ers and the Cardinals predicted record after 16 games are after the jump...
Week 17 vs San Francisco 49ers
Key Additions: Anthony Davis (OT), Mike Iupati (G), David Carr (QB), William James (CB), Taylor Mays (S), Karl Paymah (CB)
Key Losses: Arnaz Battle (WR), Dre'Bly (CB), Walt Harris (CB), Marcus Hudson (CB), Tony Pashos (OT), Jeff Ulbrich (LB)
Offseason Analysis: The main goal of the 49ers this offseason was to build off of the success they experienced last season. Their defense was one of the top units in the league. Instead of making drastic changes, they added role players in Will James and Karl Paymah. On offense, they kept the skill positions the same, but vastly improved the offensive line when they drafted Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis.
Season Outlook: With a full offseason and soon-to-be regular season under his belt, wide receiver Michael Crabtree is primed for a breakout 2010 season. Frank Gore is returning healthy and the 49ers continue to boast a forceful defense. The team is placing all of their eggs in one basket however, with Alex Smith at quarterback. If he doesn't succeed next season, the 49ers will struggle and will be staring at 2nd place in the NFC West again. If he can build off of the numbers he put up last year, Smith may be leading the 49ers to their first playoff appearance since 2002.
Key Match-Up: Matt Leinart vs Alex Smith - The obvious match-up that everyone enjoys between these two teams is Adrian Wilson vs Vernon Davis, but since I already used that in their first match-up, Leinart vs Smith is the next best thing. This game takes place during the final week of the season with much on the line. Both quarterbacks will have something to prove and both will want to take their teams to the next level.
Prediction: Loss - The Cardinals took the first match up at home, but won't be able to fend off the 49ers on the road. For the first time in years, both teams will split the season match up.
Arizona Cardinals Projected 2010 Record: 10-6
After reviewing the final prediction, a 10-6 record doesn't appear that far out of the question. This team has experienced a lot of changes this offseason and there are several unknowns heading into next year. I also noticed a few trends with my predictions; the Cardinals were 4-4 on the road, 6-2 at home, 4-2 within the division, and 1-3 against playoff teams from last season. One thing the Cardinals have taught me, however, is that they can beat any team on any given Sunday - it's figuring out which games they are that is the hard part. What are your thoughts on my prediction and what is yours for 2010?
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I'm thinking the same
I think the Cowboys will play against us with at least 12 wins under their belt, arrogantly, and probably with no real need to win (since they most likely already earned a playoff spot). The Cards will be playing a must win game in their home field and on nationwide television, desperate for 10 wins that will brighten up it’s chances for a spot in the playoffs. They lose to San Fran in week 17 due to inconsistency (which I believe will remain a problem but hopefully not as much) and it’s a toss up between the Cards and the runner ups of the NFC East & South divisions for the number 7# or number 8# seed.
Regarding this season, if the defense and running game improve, and if Matt can avoid making a lot of crucial mistakes, 9 to 11 wins is a very real possibility.
+1
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
Maybe now that Austin is dating that waste of space Kim Kardashian
It will do the same thing to him that Jessica Simpson did to Romo =).
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
Along with the Romo December curse.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
The Kardashians seem to be good luck charms
Lamar Odom and Reggie Bush both recieved their championship rings while dating them.
by CanadianCard on Jun 24, 2010 6:44 PM MDT up reply actions
thats not a waste of space to my eyes
by fansincejakenrob on Jun 25, 2010 10:43 AM MDT up reply actions
Waste of looks, no.
Waste of space, I’d say so.
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
Question
Not sure what you mean by #7 or #8 seed. Do you mean #5 or #6? Only that many go out of each conference.
Whoops
Yeah I meant 5 and 6. Thanks for pointing that out.
by CanadianCard on Jun 24, 2010 6:45 PM MDT up reply actions
I figured that's what you meant
either that or you were going the extra mile to seed the entire conference.
10-6 might be a bit optimistic.
We have downgraded from a HOF-er to an unproven 4 year vet at QB. Our D has replaced some stalwarts. I know we are moving to a running team and we brought in some solids on the other side of the ball, but I just think there will be some growing pains in the early part of the season and we finish up with an awful tough stretch. I would predict 9-7 on the high side and 6-10 on the bottom end.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome again. True story.
-Barney Stinson
Just out of curiousity Reign
What teams will the Cardinals lose to then? They have the easiest schedule in the league. Even if there are growing pains, it’s hard to see them losing to some of the teams on their schedule. I even have them split with the 49ers and Seahawks and are 1-3 against playoff teams and still wind up 10-6.
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
Maybe the tone of what I said was off
I’m not saying they will lose these games, but I can see us losing to Atlanta, NO, Minn, SF (maybe twice, but doubtfully), Dallas, SD and Den. Seattle might be able to get one from us up at Qwest. I still think that 9-7/8-8 is realistic. 6-10 is just if the bottom fell out somewhere along the line.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome again. True story.
-Barney Stinson
I don't see a loss to Denver after how many good players they have lost
And losing Nolan.
The Chargers might also be without Vincent Jackson, which could make their offense a lot worse.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
and McNiell
Well being confident in the Cardinals is something I usually try to do. Its understandable how you feel, and if Leinart plays horribly and the defense cant stop anyone, 6-10 could be likely.
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 get where you're coming from
because we have had a ton of change in one off-season. While it’s not necessarily too difficult to predict accurate records, I still believe it’s next to impossible to figure out where the wins and losses will come from. In 2008 we destroyed our division but struggled outside of it until the playoffs. Last year we suddenly became road warriors but lost our hold on having the best record within the division. A victory over Minnesota and a loss to Carolina isn’t exactly how most would have seen it either.
One thing I’m very confident of is the Whiz will make sure we’re competitive, and in spite of our losses there is still a ton of talent on this team. Won’t shock me at all to see a 10, possibly 11 win season. Of course, as you point out it wouldn’t be a shock to see 8 or 9 either.
10-6 does make sense, although 9-7 could be more likely.
I have seen some bad predictions for the season though. Thoughts on this one I saw on a message board where we went 7-9 with losses to the Panthers and Chiefs.
Final Rankings
AFC East:
1. NYJ: 13-3 ©
2. NE: 11-5
3. Mia: 9-7
4. Buf: 0-16
AFC North:
1. Bal: 14-2 ©
2. Cin: 7-9
3. Pit: 6-10
4. Cle: 4-12
AFC South:
1. Ind: 13-3 ©
2. Hou: 12-4
3. Ten: 8-8
4. Jac: 1-15
AFC West:
1. SD: 15-1 ©
2. Oak: 7-9
3. KC: 7-9
4. Den: 4-12
NFC East
1. Dal: 11-5 ©
2. Phi: 6-10
3. NYG: 6-10
4. Was: 6-10
NFC North:
1. GB: 14-2 ©
2. Min: 14-2
3. Det: 4-11
4. Chi: 3-13
NFC South:
1. NO: 15-1 ©
2. Car: 11-5
3. Atl: 10-6
4. TB: 2-14
NFC West:
1. SF: 12-4 ©
2. Ari: 7-9
3. Sea: 2-14
4. StL: 1-15
Playoff Rankings
AFC
1. SD: 15-1
2. Bal: 14-2
3. Ind: 13-3
4. NYJ: 13-3
5. Hou: 12-4
6. NE: 11-5
NFC:
1. NO: 15-1
2. GB: 14-2
3. SF: 12-4
4. Dal: 11-5
5. Min: 14-2
6. Car: 11-5
Wildcard Weekend:
AFC:
6.NE @ 3.Ind
5.Hou @ 4.NYJ
NFC:
6.Car @ 3.SF
5.Min @ 4.Dal
Divisional Round:
AFC:
3.Ind @ 2.Bal
4.NYJ @ 1.SD
NFC:
3.SF @ 2.GB
5.Min @ 1.NO
Championship Games
AFC:
4.NYJ @ 3.Ind
NFC:
2.GB @ 1.NO
Superbowl:
NYJ vs GB
The Packers wound up winning the Super Bowl in these predictions.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
Is this Roger Craig's
message board? I ask because I didn’t think anyone else was dumb enough to predict 12 wins for the Niners.
Don't underestimate the 49ers
They have (for the most part) the same easy schedule as the Cards. And last year, they made it to 8 wins in spite of a 2-6 road record.
12 wins for the 49ers might be a stretch, but 9 or 10 isn’t out of the question. Who wins the NFC West in 2010 may come down to whether the Cardinals can avoid getting swept (again).
by DaveInTucson on Jun 27, 2010 7:38 PM MDT up reply actions
They're improving
but all this talk about them destroying our division and being labeled as a clear favorite is overkill. Let’s analyze their 8-8 record last season. As you pointed out, that included 2 wins over us, and the odds of them sweeping us two years in a row are very long. They were 6-8 going into the last two weeks of the season and beat Detroit and the Rams to get to 8-8. The previous season they went 4-1 in their last five to get to 7-9. Late season, meaningless victories when you’re already officially eliminated from the playoffs only gives the illusion the division title was close. In reality, we’ve clinched the NFC West with plenty of room to spare the past two seasons.
I’m not sure about a clear favorite, but they do have a very good defense, and if they get some improvement on offense, they could be very tough to beat. And if Leinart struggles, or gets injured again…
odds of them sweeping us two years in a row are very long.
The 49ers have swept the Cards four times since realignment (and that includes some very bad 49er teams). To be sure, never twice in a row, but not a possibility to shrug off, either.
by DaveInTucson on Jun 28, 2010 7:41 PM MDT up reply actions
Until the Whiz arrived
we pretty much had nothing but bad teams so sweeping them was hardly a big achievement. Considering we swept them in 2008 I’d be very surprised if they pulled it off again in 2010. But again, either way the sweep has gone they still haven’t come close to beating us out for the division either time. Their defense is good, but I don’t see much difference in it from last season. Offensively they finally have some decent receivers, but I still don’t see it as an explosive offense. I’ll grant you that they are getting better but to hear the pundits talk it’s a given the division is theirs. Of course, it seems as though we’ve been hearing that for awhile now.
Last year Seattle was the team to beat.
Look what happened there…
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
we pretty much had nothing but bad teams so sweeping them was hardly a big achievement.
In 2004, the 49ers went 2-14, both wins coming against the Cards. Even for a 6-10 Cardinals team, that’s just embarrassing.
In 2007, the 49ers went 5-11, sweeping the Cardinals (8-8) again, including an OT loss featuring a FG miss pushed back by a delay-of-game penalty, followed by a KW fumble-sack in the end zone recovered by Tully Banta-Cain.
Then, of course, there was last year, capped off by a turnover-laced MNF melt-down.
I guess you disagree, but it seems to me that the Cardinals (including some Whisenhunt-coached teams) have played some really bad football against what seem to be inferior 49ers teams.
by DaveInTucson on Jun 29, 2010 1:35 AM MDT up reply actions
No doubt
that it’s been awhile since the 49’ers have fielded anything resembling a playoff team (kind of getting back to my original point about jumping on their bandwagon too much this year) but a Denny Green coached team had a way of stealing defeat from the jaws of victory. Not surprising that he would be the coach with the distinction of being the first to lose a game with a 20 point lead going into the fourth quarter w/o giving up an offensive TD.
2007 doesn’t concern me all that much because the Whiz made tremendous strides getting us back to a competitive level. That team really wasn’t an 8-8 squad and he was taking over a franchise that specialized in 4-6 win seasons and early draft picks. Last season they played horribly on MNF, but adjustments have been made to nullify the game plan Singletary had for us. We’ve gotten better, record-wise, every year the Whiz has been here and while many on the outside don’t see it happening this season I think our team in 2010 will be the most complete team we’ve fielded. Not to say there aren’t concerns, but our losses in the off-season haven’t been anywhere near as one-sided as the national media would have you believe.
The 49ers won't be as great as everyone seems to think they will be.
But I think that they can get 9 or 10 wins since they have a weak schedule like we do, and the NFC West will be a close race between these two teams.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
I think they will have 9 or 10 wins
But so will we.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
Additional note
Whoever posted this doesn’t see much in-between, do they? Every playoff team has 11 wins? Four teams with 14 or more wins? Two 14-2 teams out of one division? Would be too much work to figure it out, but I’m guessing if we pulled up schedules we’d find this is all a mathematical impossibility.
A 2-14 record prediction for Seattle is way too low
And for some reason, I just don’t see the Saints making it to the playoffs this year, or at least being the top team of their division, mainly because I believe in the Madden Curse and feel like Brees is definitely going to be another one of it’s victims.
by CanadianCard on Jun 24, 2010 6:58 PM MDT up reply actions
This entire prediction
is kind of ridiculous. In addition to what I quoted above, it also has five teams with 2 or fewer wins?
NFL Board on GameFAQs.com
I go on there a lot since I play a lot of video games. Mostly horrible predictions IMO, especially for Buffalo, Kansas City, Oakland, Chicago, San Francisco, Carolina, and Jacksonville.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
Having three
14+ win teams out of one conference isn’t a bet I’d take either. Think of the task that has been carved out there. Minnesota opens at New Orleans. Let’s say they lose. That means they have to go 14-1 the rest of the way, with road games against NE, NYJ, and GB, and home games against us, GB, Dallas, and the Giants. On the flip side, let’s say they beat NO. Now NO has to go 15-0 with road games against us, Dallas and Baltimore, and four remaining prime time games after their opener against Minnesota.
Call me a skeptic but I’m not seeing either scenario.
I'm saying we lose the last two of the season.
I feel the Cowboys will get us back for killing their punter and Tony’s finger. Then going into the last game I already have us with the division so there’s nothing to play for. We finish 11-5 with the 49ers finishing 10-6
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