Bold prediction: Arizona Cardinals will win 11 games, make playoffs — if ... | Opinion

The fans who came out to watch training camp at State Farm Stadium have no doubts: The Arizona Cardinals are going to be good this season.

How good? That depends on who you ask.

“The best in the league,” Santiago Valadez said. “They’re winning the Super Bowl this year.”

Santi is 11, and he spoke for himself, plus his buddies Emilio Dominguez, who is 12, and Mario Tovar Jr., 11.

Mario Tovar Sr. is more measured. He’s 32 and has been watching the Cardinals since he was a kid.

“I feel like we’re headed in the right direction,” he said. “For the most part, they will be good. I’m just looking forward to seeing what happens this season.”

Mario Tovar put it perfectly because we’re all looking forward to seeing what happens this season.

Arizona fans have been burned by expectations

A couple of Vegas oddsmakers are predicting that the Cardinals will be about the same as last year, when they won eight games. One sportsbook, DraftKings, has Arizona starting off 5-1, but going just 2-9 down the stretch. (That’s 7-10, if you need help counting.)

I think they’ll be better than that, but I’m wrestling with my preseason prediction for a lot of reasons.

First, I hate preseason predictions — especially in football. There are too many variables to expect much accuracy.

Aside from that, I’ve been burned recently by the Suns and Diamondbacks.

I thought both teams would be pretty good*. The Suns turned in their most disappointing season in franchise history. The Diamondbacks are about three-quarters of the way through a similar mess.  

(* “Pretty good” is a galactic understatement. I thought the Suns could win a title with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. And I thought Corbin Burnes would give the DBacks enough of an edge with his cutter to challenge the Dodgers for the NL West crown.)

It goes both ways.

Famously, Arizona State football was predicted to finish last in the Big 12 in 2024. The Sun Devils heard that and then went to the College Football Playoff. (I even had to write an apology song.)  

None of that has anything to do with the Cardinals and what they will or won’t do in 2025. But all of it is on my mind as I try to sort whether I think Arizona can win the NFC West or make a deep playoff push.

I went live on 12News, the NBC affiliate, with Cameron Cox moments before the Cardinals drafted Walter Nolen in April. I said then that if Monti Ossenfort got the pick right, Arizona would return to the playoffs.  

Yes, I’m aware that it would only be the second time in the last decade that this happened.

But Cam is a walking pep rally. Stand next to him long enough, and you’d have picked the prisoners without Adam Sandler to beat the guards in “The Longest Yard.” (I’m joking. Cam knows his stuff. If he says a team will be good, you can be certain there’s good reason for it.)

Anyway, this proves why this exercise is so difficult: Walter Nolen hasn’t played a snap this preseason. Nolen is dealing with an injury, and we have no idea how bad it is.

Last season, it was Darius Robinson.

And the year before that, Isaiah Simmons went from starter to cut from the team after the first preseason game.

We just don’t know.

And if we assume everything breaks right for the Cardinals, then logically we have to assume everything breaks right for everybody else, too.

Now, my mental health is at risk.

This is a playoff team — if ...

OK, to bring this all the way down. This is my ninth season covering this franchise. I remember when new Cardinals radio analyst AQ Shipley was a player in the locker room.

It’s my job to tell you, dear reader, whether I think this team will be any good.

Yes.

Barring injury, the defense will be a problem for any opponent. I’m looking for a consistent pass rush and more takeaways than last season. Budda Baker will remain the closest thing the NFL has to Troy Polamalu or a healthy Bob Sanders.

I’m looking for Kyler Murray to play like a top-five guy every single game for a full season. If he does, this is his franchise for the foreseeable future. If he gets derailed by injury or poor play again, Monti Ossenfort will need to find his replacement.

Jonathan Gannon has proved to be an outstanding leader and motivator. Now, I’m looking for him to make a call or two that saves a game, which could be the difference between making the playoffs and staying home.

I’m looking for Paris Johnson Jr. to become a wall protecting Kyler’s blindside and paving a road for James Conner to truck defenders on.

I’m looking for Marvin Harrison Jr. to top 1,000 yards receiving and stop bulking before people start comparing him to another promising Ohio State guy we had out here, David Boston. For now, Harrison looks incredible in camp, so I’m also looking forward to seeing fans wearing his No. 18 jersey now that it’s available from the team shop.

I’m looking for Trey McBride to take over the No. 1 spot as the best tight end in the NFL.

I’m looking for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to call McBride’s number a bit more inside the 20-yard line.

Bottom line: There are a lot of “ifs”. But, I’m calling for the Cardinals to win 11 games, make the playoffs and beat the Seahawks for the first time since Calais Campbell was in diapers. Then again, I was hanging around some fans who are so enthusiastic they make my guy Cam sound like an undertaker.

“All we’ve done is shore up our weak points,” 27-year-old Kalie Reid said, sitting in the front row to watch Arizona’s first day of practice with pads.

Reid then broke down in microscopic detail how the defense has been improved through the draft and free agency and how the offense will benefit from continuity.

“We’re going to be,” Reid said, “a really good team this year.”    

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.