Not the same old Cardinals

Both the Rams and Cardinals look to avoid an 0-2 start in the NFC West

In the last couple of seasons, the Arizona Cardinals have been eager to give away wins in the NFC West. That is not the case in Week 2 of the 2024 season, before the Cardinals either implode again or prove to finally have the right pieces in place for another playoff run with Kyler Murray, as they did in 2021. But this week, while the Cardinals are relatively healthy and the Rams are relatively unhealthy, a trip to Arizona isn’t the gimme it once was.

The Cardinals have been 4-13 in each of the last two seasons, but the team we saw in Week 1 pushed the Bills to the brink in Buffalo. The Rams must avoid an 0-2 hole by beating the Cardinals in Arizona this weekend.

2022-2023

In four matchups against the Cardinals recently, the Rams are 3-1 with victories of 20-12, 26-9, and 37-14. Easy football. The one time that Arizona won, John Wolford was the starting quarterback for L.A..

Last season was Jonathan Gannon’s first as the head coach and Drew Petzing’s first as the offensive coordinator, but Kyler Murray missed the first half of the season. When he returned, the Cardinals went 3-5 in the final eight games and were far more competitive in their losses.

Arizona was a respectable 14th in third down conversion rate in 2023 and that continued by the Cardinals converting 7-of-13 third downs in Week 1 against the Bills, third-best in the NFL’s first week.

The fact is that the Cardinals were severely outmatched in personnel and coaching in 2022-2023. Whether they have the right coaches in place is not yet known, but the personnel is catching up to the Rams much faster than we could have predicted.

2024 Cardinals

They won’t look that much different on paper, but the Cardinals were starting Josh Dobbs at quarterback a year ago and now they have Murray back. They’re also more experienced.

Left tackle Paris Johnson, the sixth overall pick in 2023, is that much more experienced. As is tight end Trey McBride, receiver Michael Wilson, and former first round pick Zaven Collins, who has moved from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher in 2024.

Of course, the premier addition is receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., the fourth overall pick in the draft.

Fans didn’t even wait two seconds to criticize Harrison for only catching one pass for 4 yards in Week 1, calling him “slow” after the receiver opted out of combine drills before the 2024 draft. But the odds are in Harrison’s favor that he will be one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFC West for years to come. Former Rams receiver Greg Dortch led Arizona with 47 yards against the Bills.

Meanwhile, McBride is coming off of a season with 81 catches for 825 yards and could be the best tight end in the NFC West once George Kittle retires or deteriorates.

Finally, everything happens around Murray—he had 57 rushing yards last week but has also proven adept in the past at dispersing the ball around via air—but also James Conner. The Rams could have their hands full trying to defend Arizona’s two-headed rushing attack.

As far as the Cardinals defense, that falls on Gannon. It could and probably will be Arizona’s weakness and potential downfall, meaning they’re relying on Murray and Petzing to score 30-40 points per game.

Which…they might be capable of doing.

The end of an era?

The Rams have beaten the Cardinals in 13 of their last 15 meetings, including the 2021 playoffs. That’s the type of confidence that can’t be replicated by anything other than a long winning streak against one team. However, the two times that the Cardinals beat the Rams, they had Murray+offensive weapons+rushing attack (37-20 win in 2021) OR the Rams had been decimated by injuries (27-17 win in 2022).

Well this week, the Cardinals have Murray and the Rams are decimated by injuries.

Both teams are desperate to avoid an 0-2 start. Both teams have something to prove after getting sliced up on defense more than they would like to see in the future. Both teams expect to be better than they were last year. These aren’t the same old Cardinals. Now who are the Rams?