An 0-4 Start For The Cardinals Could Easily Happen
A horrible finish in '21 and messy offseason could play a factor
Nick Ashooh - Jul 20, 2022, 5:57pm EDTAll offseason, the chatter around Kyler Murray and his contract has been deafening for the organization. The reality of all this though is simple -- Murray will sign for a lot of money, and we'll go on talking about what Lamar Jackson will get paid, followed by the next round of quarterbacks.
The bigger issue really in Arizona though has nothing to do with their franchise QB's signature, and more to do with the alarming trends we've seen over the last two seasons from this team.
After starting off 7-0 last year, the Cards stumbled to a 4-6 finish, only to get embarrassed 34-11 by the eventual Super Bowl Champion Rams in their first playoff game.
In 2020, a 5-2 start before the bye was followed by a 3-6 stretch, and no postseason.
Have you seen the start to their schedule this year? Well, it's daunting, to say the least.
How It Could Play Out
BetMGM has this easy-to-overlook prop under their team specials, that could actually be a serious bet to consider -- the Cardinals to start 0-4 at +700.
Sure, they've started off strong the last two seasons, but with the offseason drama and mounting pressure on this organization to make a serious jump, I'm not ruling out last year's collapse carrying over to the start of 2022. Let's also not forget they won't have DeAndre Hopkins for the first six weeks of the season either with his suspension looming.
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What makes it even more intriguing is seeing the Chiefs, Raiders, and Rams as their first three opponents, setting up a real shot for a 0-3 lead-off.
Week 4 is where it gets a little tricky here, with the Cardinals heading to Carolina, seeing a team that we have no idea what they'll look like (or who their coach could even be) at that point.
If the Panthers get "good Baker Mayfield", the improved roster as a whole could be an early surprise. If of course, we see the same Baker we saw last year, well this bet could be dead in the water at that point.
These first few games are a much more concentrated collection of strong opponents than in those last two years though, with Arizona seeing the Jaguars, Commanders (then just "Football Team" of course), Lions, and an eventual 5-11 Panthers team in either 2021 or 2020.
Obviously, there's a reason why it's 7 to 1 to happen, but worth adding to your bet slip given what's in front of them, and maybe a few bragging rights as well if it ends up hitting.