The Arizona Cardinals are in a place not many expected through Week 8 of the 2024 season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With Arizona’s (4-4) 28-27 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday and subsequent loss by the Seattle Seahawks (4-4) to the Buffalo Bills and win by the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) over the Dallas Cowboys, three of four teams in the NFC West have a 4-4 record.
The Cardinals, however now sit in first place, as they own the tiebreaker over the 49ers by way of their head-to-head win in Week 5, and their 2-0 division record trumps the Seahawks’ 0-1 division record. The Los Angeles Rams are in fourth place in the division with a 3-4 overall record.
Updated NFC West standings through Week 8: pic.twitter.com/qfJ1H5in4b
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) October 28, 2024
Although Arizona only won by one point over Miami, a lot of fans were encouraged by what they saw because of the complete performance they put together, highlighted by Kyler Murray’s season-high 307 passing yards and over 100 receiving yards by both Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.
This came after a lot of lows in Weeks 3-7 for Arizona, but it was able to squeak out a couple wins in that stretch. Although the Cardinals haven’t looked the best, neither has the rest of the division, and a 2-0 record against the NFC West gives the Cardinals an advantage moving forward.
Injuries are a big concern for Arizona for how the team will fare the rest of the year given that it has lost two starting offensive linemen, two starting defensive linemen and two outside linebackers to season-ending injuries. Meanwhile, the 49ers and Rams still have some big-time players they are either waiting to get back or just came back. Could Arizona’s current injury situation inspire general manager Monti Ossenfort to make some moves in the trade market?
We will see what ends up happening, but the Cardinals now head home after their win over the Dolphins to take on the 4-3 Chicago Bears, who lost to the Washington Commanders by way a Hail Mary on Sunday. Arizona then hosts the New York Jets (2-6) before a bye week.
After the bye, the Cardinals travel to take on the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings (5-2) in Weeks 12 and 13.
Three of Arizona’s final five games are against divisional opponents, as they play the Seahawks again in Week 14, at the Rams in Week 17 and host the 49ers in Week 18. The other two games in this span are against the lowly New England Patriots (2-6) in Week 15 and Carolina Panthers (1-7) in Week 16.
What do you think Arizona’s chances are to remain on top or in contention for first place in the division?
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
