ARIZONA CARDINALS

Clayton: Right now, Cardinals are best team in NFC West

Oct 9, 2015, 9:42 AM | Updated: 4:57 pm

Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Markus Golden (44) and  defensive end Frostee Rucker (92) cele...

Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Markus Golden (44) and defensive end Frostee Rucker (92) celebrates Golden's sack of St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

LISTEN: John Clayton, ESPN NFL insider

Through four games, the Arizona Cardinals lead the NFC West with a 3-1 record.

It could have been 4-0 had they not laid an egg at home against the St. Louis Rams in Week 4, but at any rate, they’ve done enough to find their way atop the division.

At the same time, the two-time defending NFC West and NFC champion Seattle Seahawks have rebounded from a 0-2 start to even their record at 2-2, albeit not without some hiccups along the way.

Going into the season, most expected the West to come down to a battle of the birds, and according to ESPN NFL insider John Clayton, nothing has changed.

“I’d say Arizona,” he told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM when asked who the best team in the division is right now, noting the disappointment that was the Rams loss. “The most talented team is Seattle, the best team right now has been Arizona.”

Clayton said the loss to St. Louis — a team that also beat the Seahawks in Week 1 — was “a little bit of a dud,” but noted that the first three games, where the Cardinals beat the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers fairly handily, showed their ability to play at a very high level.

“Seattle has kind of taken one of the tougher parts of their schedule and starting to climb back, then they got to the Chicago game and they got their defense back together,” he said. “But let’s put it this way: it’s still going to be a race between these two teams.

“We’ll see if St. Louis has enough to stay with this group, I don’t know if they can, they probably can’t. But what you’re looking at is two teams that are either going to have 11 wins or 12 wins, something of that nature, and see how that tiebreaker goes going into that last game to win the division.”

The Cardinals and Seahawks will first match up on Nov. 15 in Seattle, with their second and final meeting coming Jan. 3, in Week 17, in Glendale.

Presented By
Western Governors University

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

Desmond Ridder runs the rock against Houston...

Tyler Drake

Desmond Ridder eager to remind fellow Cardinals QB Clayton Tune about college wins

Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder may not know Kyler Murray just yet, but he and Clayton Tune go way back.

18 hours ago

LSU's Malik Nabers, a top NFL Draft prospect...

Kevin Zimmerman

NFL Draft: Malik Nabers to visit Arizona Cardinals after LSU pro day, per report

Top NFL Draft receiver prospect Malik Nabers will reportedly visit with the Arizona Cardinals after the LSU Tigers' pro day.

21 hours ago

Desmond Ridder looks to pass...

Tyler Drake

QB1 or not, Desmond Ridder keeping starter mentality with Cardinals

New Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is focused on using the good and the bad from his first two seasons rather than listening to outside chatter.

2 days ago

Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray look on...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray’s ‘best football is ahead of him’

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Kyler Murray will continue taking the necessary steps forward with a full offseason of work.

2 days ago

Kyler Murray chats with Jonathan Gannon...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals will face ‘really good’ AFC opponent for joint preseason practices

The Arizona Cardinals expect to hold joint practices in the preseason against a really good AFC opponent, in the words of Jonathan Gannon.

2 days ago

Patriots and Cardinals kick off return in 2020...

Associated Press

NFL owners approve new kickoff rules for 2024

NFL kickoff rules will take on a hybrid approach similar to the XFL. League owners approved the new measures Tuesday.

2 days ago

Clayton: Right now, Cardinals are best team in NFC West