ESPN’s Barnwell: Bills still have it worse than Cardinals

By ESPN’s count, the Buffalo Bills have just as bad of playoff odds as the Arizona Cardinals. Starting the season 0-2, they each have a 0.3 percent shot at the postseason.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell will give the Cardinals a better chance of turning things around.

In his rankings of the seven 0-2 teams to start the 2018 NFL season, Barnwell rated Buffalo as the only team below Arizona. The Bills, after all, began the year with Nathan Peterman starting at quarterback before flipping to rookie Josh Allen in Week 1. During their second game, another knee-jerk reaction came when head coach Sean McDermott took the play-calling away from his defensive coordinator and watched as veteran cornerback Vontae Davis retired mid-game.

While the Cardinals have been outscored 58-6 through two games, the Bills have outdone their dreary counterparts out west. They are the first team in 40 years to be blanked 48-0 in the first halves of their first two games. So why does Barnwell hold a slightly bit more optimism for Arizona compared to Buffalo?

The answer: talent.

I do have more hope for the defense improving. The Cardinals are allowing teams to convert on 50 percent of their third downs, the second-worst rate in the league behind the Bengals, and even a bad defense won’t keep that up for a full season. They have one takeaway in two games. Opposing receivers are averaging a league-high 7.27 yards after catch against the Cardinals and haven’t yet dropped a pass. There’s too much talent in this secondary for that to keep up, and the Cardinals are still third in the league in pressure rate on defense, so the pass rush has been lively.

Barnwell, however, doesn’t like Arizona’s playoff odds that sat at a projected 10.2 percent entering the year. Teams that begin 0-2 historically have an 11 percent shot of making the playoffs, and the NFC isn’t going to do the Cardinals any favors.

The obvious next step if things don’t go right on Sunday against the Chicago Bears just might include starting rookie quarterback Josh Rosen over veteran Sam Bradford, Barnwell agrees.

But there are pressing concerns regarding the future of more seasoned players, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

As is the case with the Bills, Arizona needs to evaluate its young guys. Deone Bucannon, who is in his fifth-year option and once looked like a star in the making, played 25 snaps last week. Former first-round pick Haason Reddick played three. The Cardinals need to see what they have there, even if it means taking away snaps from veterans like Antoine Bethea and playing more linebackers.

Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks alluded to changes both in his rotations last week — he went with veteran Gerald Hodges in front of Bucannon — and in his comments after Sunday’s 34-0 loss to the Rams. For now, it’s about attempting to earn the team’s first win.

In any case, the clock is ticking in terms of key pieces adjusting to Wilks’ systems and vice versa.

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