As the 2022 NFL Season draws closer, allow us to kick off our coverage around the league starting in the desert where the Cardinals attempt to make yet another leap, this time establishing themselves as a true contender. After a torrid 7-0 start turned into an 11-6 finish culminating into a 34-11 thumping at the hands of the (eventual Super Bowl Champion) Rams, Arizona is desperate to taste postseason success for the first time in seven years. With (Franchsie Quarterback) Kyler Murray locked down to a lucrative contract extension, will the Cards fly higher in 2022 or will (Head Coach) Kliff Kingsbury’s flock head south come winter once more?
Learning to Finish
Over the past three years, the Cardinals have seen a wealth of progress under the watch of Kingsbury, who after going 5-10-1 in his first season as a Head Coach in the NFL, followed that up with an 8-8 finish, before last year’s 11-6 campaign sent his charges to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Despite the marked improvement from season to season, the 42-year-old has been criticized for back-to-back collapses, with the most recent seeing the redbirds fall out of the NFC’s top seed into a wild card berth. Arizona raced out to a 7-0 start in which they averaged 32.1 points on 402.7 total yards with a stellar +7 turnover differential, only to win four of their final ten contests featuring precipitous declines in scoring (22.4) and total offense (353.7). Granted, Murray missed roughly a month during that stretch due to a high ankle sprain, while (All-Pro Receiver) DeAndre Hopkins (much more on him shortly) was sidelined for seven including the final four outings and aforementioned postseason defeat thanks to a torn MCL. Most teams would find it hard to win without two pillars of their offense, and it’s clear that management feels that a healthier run of form will lead to bigger things for the Cards, as they have done nothing but continue to cement their future by keeping said individuals in place. (General Manager) Steve Keim inked Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension consisting of $160 million in total guarantees, keeping the former No. One Overall Pick in Glendale for the foreseeable future, while also confirming Kingsbury (or at least we think) with an extension of his own. Now it will be up to these two to make good on the lucrative investment that the franchise has made in them, for if they fall apart once again down the stretch then it will likely get MUCH hotter in the desert, certainly for the latter.
Familiar Faces
As we touched upon earlier, the absence of the aforementioned Hopkins played a major role in the Cardinals’ swoon over the second half of the campaign, and by and large the numbers support it; without the perennial Pro-Bowler on the gridiron, Arizona’s passing attack featured 56% of their yardage coming after the catch, opposed to 44% when he was healthy. Basically, Kingsbury’s scheme is far more vertical with Hopkins than without, which made them very predictable over the last four games. Unfortunately, the Cards will be without his services for a bit longer, for the 30-year-old will be suspended for the first six games of the upcoming season after running afoul of the NFL’s performance enhancing drug policy. In an attempt to cover their losses in the short term, Keim reunited Murray with his collegiate teammate, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. Despite performing within a largely run-oriented attack, Brown has proven to be a dangerous vertical threat capable of taking it to the house on virtually any touch, racking up twenty-one touchdowns over the past three seasons. There is reason to believe that linking back up with Murray will lead to big things for the 25-year-old, who posted career-highs in receptions (91) and yards (1,008), with those figures expected to raise exponentially within Kingsbury’s wide-open, pass-happy offense. Remember, not only will Arizona be without Hopkins for the first third of the campaign, but they also parted ways with Christian Kirk in free agency. With Brown alongside (former Pro-Bowl Tight End) Zach Ertz, who was added at the Trade Deadline last Fall, look for the passing game to be more diverse than it was without Hopkins down the stretch of the previous season, only to have no shortage of options once the veteran returns.
Where’s the Rush?
While the extensions of Murray and Kingsbury coupled with the looming absence of Hopkins has more or less dominated the offseason for the Cardinals, there is a theme on defense that must not go unnoticed, and that is the state of the pass-rush. In 2022, (Defensive Coordinator) Vance Joseph’s unit was one of the NFL’s best against the pass, ranking seventh in yards allowed (214.4), along with thirteenth in both net yards per attempt (6.1) and sacks (41). 21.5 of those sacks came courtesy of (former All-Pro Edge) Chandler Jones (10.5) and Markus Golden (11.0), with the tandem also combining for forty-five quarterback hits and twenty-two tackles for loss. Unfortunately, Arizona traded the former to leave in Free Agency, leaving a rather large hole on the edge of Joseph’s defensive front. Keim added (three-time DOPY) J.J. Watt last Summer, but the 32-year-old lasted just seven games before his first season in the desert ended prematurely to injury. Needless to say, this has become a serious trend for Watt, who has managed more than eight games just twice in the past six years, placing more pressure on the shoulders of Golden, who has thrived since arriving via midseason trade with the Giants back in 2020. A draftee of the redbirds back in 2015, the 31-year-old has played his best football in the desert and will be counted upon to hold the torch in the wake of Jones’ departure, while a wealth of young talents finds their footing. Keim double dipped on the defensive line in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, adding Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders from San Diego State and Cincinnati respectively, with hopes that at least one of them will catch on quickly.
Projected Finish: 10-7
A tough three week stretch to open the campaign (vs Chiefs, at Raiders, vs Rams) will test their mettle early without the services of Hopkins, but a soft middle of the schedule should allow the Cardinals to find their footing before a hellacious December. If the Offense can become more dynamic and the pass-rush can grow without the threat of Jones on the edge, then Arizona could obtain their first NFC West crown since 2015, but if not then yet another late collapse could spell the end for Kingsbury’s tenure with the franchise, extension be damned.