Entering Week 5, the Arizona Cardinals are the only team in the NFL with a 4-0 record, and that might be a shock to quite a few people. After their blowout win over the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona is clearly here to stay.
Entering the season, some thought that head coach Kliff Kingsbury might be on the hot seat if he didn’t start winning with his young franchise quarterback. That’s all changed this season. Not only is Kingsbury clicking with Murray, but the entire offense is clicking by averaging an NFL best 35 points per game.
Murray is also playing at an MVP level ranking first in completion percentage at 76.1%. The third-year quarterback is third in the NFL in QBR and fifth in passer rating. It’s safe to say that Murray isn’t playing well with just his legs, he’s dominating with his arm. Murray has the third most passing yards with just over 1,200 through four games.
Kingsbury’s offense isn’t just playing well, it’s dominating. Arizona is averaging 440.5 yards per game along with 136.5 rushing yards per game. They’re also converting on third down when it matters the most ranking in the top-10 along with owning the eighth best red zone offense in the NFL.
It’s not just the offense that is playing well, it’s also Vance Joseph’s defense. Arizona is giving up just 21.3 points per game ranking ninth in the NFL. Joseph’s defense has only given up more than 20 points just once this season and that came against the Minnesota Vikings in which they scored 24 from their offense.
The quarterbacks that they have faced include Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, and Matthew Stafford. Those are not easy quarterbacks to beat each week.
Another reason why Arizona has been successful this season is they’re second in the NFL in turnover differential. The Cardinals are plus-5 and are the best in the NFL in recovering fumbles. Joseph’s defense has forced eight fumbles this season and ranks third in takeaways. Defensive back Byron Murphy has three interceptions himself already this season.
There is one area in which the Arizona defense has struggled and that’s in the rushing game. Joseph’s defense is 26th in the NFL allowing over 135 yards per game on the ground. You might wonder why teams just don’t stay with the run against Arizona, but the truth is, the Cardinals offense scores so fast and so often that teams are playing catch up most of the game.
With Arizona off to a 4-0 start, they’ve beaten two teams that made the playoffs last season and have themselves thinking that maybe they can compete with the big boys in the NFC. In arguably the toughest division in the NFL, the Cardinals have taken down the Rams and have another big-time opponent coming up this week against the 49ers without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The quicker they can steal division wins, the better off they’ll be in having a chance to win the NFC West.
Right now, the Arizona Cardinals have a MVP-type quarterback that fits perfectly in his head coach’s offense along with a top-10 defense in the NFL. Seems like a very difficult team to beat moving forward if you ask me.
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