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No. 10: ARIZONA CARDINALS
Last Season: 11-5
Second place, NFC West; lost 27-16 to Panthers in wild-card round
Arizona has a 13-2 record in Carson Palmer's past 15 starts, and his 67.6 QBR in those games ranks eighth in the league. But Palmer is coming off ACL surgery at age 35, so there are naturally questions about whether he can hold up for a full season. On the upside, as one personnel director puts it, "He plays well as a stationary dropback QB." To help, Arizona made moves to upgrade its running game (Pro Bowl LG Mike Iupati, who is on the injured list for now) after Andre Ellington & Co. ranked 32nd in yards per carry last season. An improved run game should help take pressure off Palmer. Can the defense do the same without former coordinator Todd Bowles? Even with him, the Cards allowed four opponents to reach 500 yards last season. Getting LB Daryl Washington back (substance-abuse suspension) would help, but there are enough question marks on both sides of the ball to make another 11-win season unlikely. Then again, this team has proved adept at beating the odds. -- Mike Sando
Many may say it's because quarterback Carson Palmer is healthy nine months after tearing the ACL in his left knee and is throwing as well as he's ever thrown in his career. But the reason why Arizona will make the playoffs is because of a rebuilt running game. With a healthy Andre Ellington complemented by rookie David Johnson and veteran Chris Johnson, the Cardinals have a backfield that's deep, explosive and can last into the playoffs.
As it did in 2014 and started to in training camp, if the injury bug bites Arizona again, the Cardinals could be watching the postseason from their couches. The Cardinals are deep enough this season to absorb injuries everywhere but at quarterback. We all saw how that turned out last season. If Palmer stays healthy, there's a slim chance this team doesn't go to the playoffs. General manager Steve Keim built this year's roster with enough depth to avoid what happened last year.
Cardinals' percentage chance to win each game
Sept. 13 vs. New Orleans: 55.7
Sept. 20 @ Chicago: 51.9
Sept. 27 vs. San Francisco: 64.4
Oct. 4 vs. St. Louis: 62.3
Oct. 11 @ Detroit: 45.5
Oct. 18 @ Pittsburgh: 40.9
Oct. 26 vs. Baltimore: 54.5
Nov. 1 @ Cleveland: 55.2
Nov. 15 @ Seattle: 30.7
Nov. 22 vs. Cincinnati: 57.7
Nov. 29 @ San Francisco: 52.1
Dec. 6 @ St. Louis: 48.2
Dec. 10 vs. Minnesota: 62.4
Dec. 20 @ Philadelphia: 38.8
Dec. 27 vs. Green Bay: 46.0
Jan. 3 vs. Seattle: 45.2
Josh Weinfuss' game-by-game predictions
Losing defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who is the head coach of the New York Jets. Even though Arizona is going to run the same defensive scheme under coordinator James Bettcher, having someone new call the plays will be an adjustment. During the preseason, the Cardinals didn't appear to have any issues with Bettcher in charge. But Bowles was good at making halftime adjustments; it will be interesting to see if Bettcher has the same talent.
Arizona knows getting too excited in August will be a waste of energy, especially after watching a 9-1 start fizzle into a wild-card loss a season ago. But optimism is quietly high. The defense is using 2014 as motivation and is already jelling, while the offense -- and coaches -- know Palmer attacked his rehab with a vengeance and it's resulted in the strongest arm he's had in years. Maybe ever.
The Cardinals will be saying one of three things come February: "There's champagne in my eye!" "It's tough to lose a Super Bowl" or "We wish we didn't suffer so many injuries again." Arizona has enough depth and ability on this year's roster, especially with a healthy Palmer, to make a run deep into January and potentially into February. Even if there are injuries, the Cardinals can still make the playoffs. Their run will just end earlier.
No. 9 Eagles | No. 11 Bengals | NFC West | Full List
