One writer believes the Arizona Cardinals’ offseason additions will yield a winning team in 2013.

Pete Prisco, senior NFL columnist for CBS Sports, predicts Arizona will finish the season 9-7, which would be a huge improvement over last year’s 5-11 campaign.

However, a 9-7 record would only place the Birdgang third in the NFC West this season, according to Prisco. He puts the San Francisco 49ers at 12-4 and the Seattle Seahawks at 10-6.

The CBS writer picked the Cardinals to win the division in 2012, a prediction that backfired on him. He was slightly less optimistic about the team in this year’s forecast.

This time, the Arizona Cardinals are not the pick in the NFC West, even if I did change that pick before the season started. (49ers fans, you can look it up.)

Prisco puts two other NFC teams — the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins — at 9-7 and six conference rivals with more wins that that in 2013, meaning Arizona would not make the playoffs.

Cardinals fans can rejoice in the fact Prisco did not predict either the 49ers or the Seahawks to make it to Super Bowl XLVIII. He thinks the Seahawks will get knocked out in the first round, and that the 49ers, despite earning a first round bye, will become victims in the divisional round to the Atlanta Falcons.

Prisco predicts the Cincinnati Bengals will win in the Super Bowl over the Falcons.