ARIZONA CARDINALS

Arizona Cardinals near the top in early 2015 power rankings

Feb 5, 2015, 11:01 PM | Updated: 11:01 pm

Follow @AZSports...

Trying to predict how good a team will be in the future is near impossible. There are too many unknowns.

Take the Arizona Cardinals, for example. Nobody knows how far they would have gone with a healthy Carson Palmer last season. With his health in question and an entire offseason that still needs to be sorted out, September is just too far away to know anything solid. But now that the Super Bowl is over, attention is already onto next season.

Here’s how the experts think the Cards stack up in their early 2015 power rankings.

CBS Sports: 6

With Carson Palmer back, they will again push Seattle for a division title. This team is talented.

NFL.com: 7

Thought it classy that Bruce Arians so prominently mentioned Todd Bowles in the acceptance speech for his second AP Coach of the Year award in three seasons. Arizona’s high rank here is reflective of my immense respect for Captain Kangol, as well as the fact that the spring of 2015 will bring this club something vitally important that has nothing to do with the draft or free agency: HEALTH. I think all of us are a little curious how formidable the Cardinals can be in the NFC if they don’t have to play with one arm tied behind their back.

Yahoo Sports: 8

While it’s a big leap to assume Carson Palmer is back to his normal self after ACL surgery (he took a long time to recover from his first one, and some would argue he never totally did), the Cardinals are a dangerous team if he is. They do need to figure out the Larry Fitzgerald situation, however. It’s hard to believe he comes back at his scheduled $23.6 million cap number.

USA Today: 9

They cleaned up on postseason awards. With a little luck, they might be ready to snatch the hardware they really want next year.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona Cardinals

Rutgers cornerback Max Melton celebrates...

Damon Allred

ESPN: Cornerback Max Melton fits into Cardinals’ defensive identity

The Arizona Cardinals continue to receive praise for drafting CB Max Melton because of how he matches what the defense wants to do.

2 hours ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: What will the Arizona Cardinals’ first six weeks of the NFL season say about the team?

Two-time Super Bowl winner Max Starks joined Wolf & Luke to share his thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals' first six weeks of the NFL season.

21 hours ago

Darius Robinson at rookie minicamp...

Damon Allred

PFF offseason grades: Cardinals earn a B+ with potential for an A

Pro Football Focus released its grades for all 32 teams on Thursday, and the Cardinals got a B+ that can reach an "A" level.

1 day ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: How good can the Arizona Cardinals be?

Burns & Gambo discuss what they think the ceiling of the Arizona Cardinals is after the schedule was released on Wednesday.

2 days ago

Jonathan Gannon looks on...

Tyler Drake

What does Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon look for in an NFL schedule?

The NFL's annual schedule release parlays quickly into way-too-early predictions. For Jonathan Gannon, it's much more measured.

2 days ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: Cardinals Corner: Breaking down Arizona’s 2024 schedule and early win-loss predictions

This week, the Cardinals Corner crew break down the Arizona Cardinals' 2024 schedule, early win-loss predictions and weigh in on the NFL Prime Time football schedule.

2 days ago

Arizona Cardinals near the top in early 2015 power rankings