With Nine Weeks firmly in the books, one thing is for certain and that is the Arizona Cardinals have control of the NFC West. From the outside looking in, it may be shocking to most, but for those who have been paying attention, we all saw the Cardinals barely eked out of the playoffs last year with 10 wins.
The Cardinals are currently 7-1 with a solid two game lead on the Seattle Seahawks and a three game lead on the San Francisco 49ers.
Before the season started some experts picked the Cardinals to shock this division and win it, but most circled the Seahawks and 49ers and rightfully so because of how well both teams had performed in the recent years. The Cards have eight games left and five of them are against NFC West foes, they already have beaten the 49ers on their home turf so the rest of the season will be crucial keeping a strangle hold on the NFC West division.
During this year the Cardinals have dealt with major blows and kept the train moving. The first major blow happened in training camp as star DT/DE Darnell Dockett was lost for the season with a knee injury. The second major blow came during the season as QB Carson Palmer missed multiple games with nerve damage in his shoulder. He has since returned and has helped the offensive be more potent. For those expecting a major falloff without Palmer under center were sadly mistaken as backup Drew Stanton did a great job taking over the helm. This teams’ defense is better than advertised as their secondary makes it hard over everybody having Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie on each side of the field.
If they handle their business the rest of the season the NFC West will now have to adjust as the teams had first adjusted to the Niners and Seahawks. Could a changing of the guard be happening on the west coast? As of now no matter how you cut it the Cards have the juice and not even Q seems like he can stop it.
