It's a New Year! (For Some)

The Cardinals will open in the Louisiana against the Saints, and I think both teams are hoping for more positivity this year. Last year, Arizona was not in great form. Kyler Murray was not as good as we are accustomed to seeing, Marvin Harrison Jr. was more absent than we thought he would be, and their defense left us wishing for a little more. While they were 11^th in total offense but bottom half in defensive rankings, the Cardinals just never seemed to be able to click on either side of the ball. I think their defense will bring more to the table this season, as they added Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Calais Campbell. Very capable, proven playmakers. I think if Arizona can anchor on defense, and show some growth in their offense between Murray and Harrison Jr., they can be a tough team to beat. But not if they’re not on the same page as they were last year.

The Saints might be in some trouble this year. That’s not to say that will happen but the future doesn’t look bright now. They got Spencer Rattler out there at QB, with rookie Tyler Shough as the backup. They have an impressive lineup at the skill positions between Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and Chris Olave, but they are sometimes injury prone. Their defense is a little flimsy on paper, but maybe they will be sort of a sleeper team this year, (highly unlikely I'm just trying to be positive.) I think they’re going to have to work out their QB position before we start taking stabs at their season long runs. I think they lose this game at home. I think the Cardinals will start out hot and start to show their potential. I just don’t think the Saints have it in them quite yet.