Is this the best 2-5 team ever?

[ASUCHRIS]

This is a chicken and egg stat. Players play better on rosters surrounded by talent already. They stand out for pro bowl nods on winning teams. Take Marv as a good example. What's Marv's route to a pro bowl with a QB with a sub 6 yard YPA that can't throw on time? You drop Marv into a dozen other teams and he's a pro bowl player.

Ok, so if the same players were on the Cardinals they would be mid, and if everyone the Cards drafted were on the Rams/Seahawks, they'd be pro bowlers.

The multiverse is great - you can make up whatever ridiculous theories you want, and you'll never be proven wrong!

 

[PDXChris]

We have the hardest SOS as of now.

Tankathon | 2026 NFL Draft Order

2026 NFL Draft order tracker updated after every game. View traded picks in all seven rounds and a live updating Mock Draft after each game.

www.tankathon.com

 

[phillycard]

If we were getting beat by 10 we'd have serious issues, but this isn't a bad team, it's just bad in clutch moments (as is coaching).

Oh, if only it weren't for this. This will be in the Cards obit this year once we're mathematically eliminated.

 

[Chopper0080]

Our defense went from 15/22 last year to 15/19 this year. What did we get for all these nominal improvements?

This is the challenge when you go from bad to mid or slightly below mid to slightly above. The idea should have been that the improved front would pair well with the deeper and more talented CB room. That you would have SMB and STV as veteran CBs who would eventually be usurped by the more talented Melton and Will Johnson. Also the internal pass rush from Nolen would add more internal rush vs just CC. It was always going to be a change in collective defense vs individual until players show they can be impactful stars. As we know this is the biggest issue with the draft and develop plan. You are wholly dependent on difference makers coming from the draft. Until that happens, you just have a surplus of above mid to mid players on your roster.

 

[Chopper0080]

LOLOL… are you serious?! Just last week you were arguing with me saying these weren’t that much of an upgrade on the D negging each one of them, belittling their impact to the following bottom line:

40 year old DT
30+ DE
OLB plays 55%

Jesus man.

They are positive players but not impact players. Dalvin is great, but when you are facing a team who is passing to try to come back at the end of the game, his impact is lessened. CC is old and on a snap count. Sweat is a complementary pass rusher. There is a lot of space between bad and meaningful. CC and Dalvin make Stills DL 4 or 5 which is a lot better than the DL 2 or 3 he was in 2024. That doesn't make CC and Dalvin impact players.

 

[Chopper0080]

Who was the more talented team in the Titans-Cardinals Game?

The Cardinals in totality, but one team, Titans, had the best player on the field in Jeffrey Simmons. We all saw the impact that made. That is the type of player Monti has been unable to add to this point.

 

[Chopper0080]

We're not a fringe talent team. If we were a fringe talent team we wouldn't consistently in the game with winning teams like the Niners, Seahawks, Green Bay and Indi.

Really, the whole "We suck, this isn't a good team" thing comes from the Titans debacle. If we win that game, as we should have, and the team is now 3-4 with close defeats against teams that are currently #2, #4, #5, #12 in the NFL power rankings then the feeling around here is very different. (and that #12 ranking for the Niners is harsh).

People that say this is the "easiest part of the schedule" are basing it on pre season rankings. The truth is we have played some very good teams and hung in their until the final drive without all of them, despite some serious issues at QB.

4 of our 5 loses have come against teams with a combined 20-6-1 record.

I disagree. This is a league designed for parity. Average teams should be in games with top teams especially in years like this one where the top teams seem to stand out less.

 

[football karma]

The Cardinals in totality, but one team, Titans, had the best player on the field in Jeffrey Simmons. We all saw the impact that made. That is the type of player Monti has been unable to add to this point.

who oh by the way, was working against the 11th best player on the Cards offense

 

[BritCard]

I disagree. This is a league designed for parity. Average teams should be in games with top teams especially in years like this one where the top teams seem to stand out less.

It might be designed for parity, but it clearly is not in reality.

 

[BritCard]

It might be designed for parity, but it clearly is not in reality.

The people thumbs downing this comment are the same that say we can't compete with other teams on cash.

The league has systems in place to encourage parity, it also has holes that discourage it.

 

[Mulli]

More like owner a “holes” who claim poverty because they can

 

[WeBlitz]

Why does BritCard defend ownership so much? I’m so confused .

 

[Chopper0080]

The people thumbs downing this comment are the same that say we can't compete with other teams on cash.

The league has systems in place to encourage parity, it also has holes that discourage it.

"can't compete" and "choose not to compete" are two different things.

 

[Arizona_Steve]

We have the hardest SOS as of now.

We seem to have that every year even though we place 4th in the division. Is it because of our division?

 

[kerouac9]

We seem to have that every year even though we place 4th in the division. Is it because of our division?

Largely.

 

[Mulli]

Largely.

When it isn't a tough schedule , it seems like it is because the team stink/is tanking again?

 

[kerouac9]

When it isn't a tough schedule , it seems like it is because the team stink/is tanking again?

Yes the other teams seem stronger after easily securing a victory against us

 

[Mulli]

Yes the other teams seem stronger after easily securing a victory against us

THE JOY IS IN THE COMPETITION

 

[BritCard]

"can't compete" and "choose not to compete" are two different things.

Nobody chooses that in a "league built for parity".

 

[BritCard]

Yes the other teams seem stronger after easily securing a victory against us

Nobody has easily secured a victory though

 

[Chopper0080]

Nobody chooses that in a "league built for parity".

So then there is no excuse. It is a league built for parity. I'm glad you came around.

 

[PDXChris]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[FB94]

So then there is no excuse. It is a league built for parity. I'm glad you came around.

It is? Guess the Cards never got that memo

 

[SECTION 11]

The glass could easily be half full. It could also be half empty. But honestly, the glass is twice as big as necessary.

 

[Harry]

The Athletic surveyed execs before the season. One said, “They are good enough to stay in games,” he said. “They will be relevant until the fourth quarter, and more times than not, they will not be able to close games out. Whether it be a turnover, the inability to get a stop. They can be exciting to watch. Kyler Murray is very talented and can make some things happen. But I don’t know that they have enough from a team makeup standpoint to close games out.”