TLDR: This video is fantastic.
First of all who thinks HOU is giving up at 1-3 and did you see the one team they just beat? HOU has the number 1 defense in the league, with the 30th ranked offense in ppg.
But people in this sub think our season is over.
“The ability to have a good QB is out-weighed by the ability to surround them with good surrounding talent.” -Video
Look at Mahomes first 7 games in 2024 (8 TDs, 9 INTs)
Chiefs went 7-0 with the 4th ranked defense and 15-2 with the 16th ranked offense. It has been proven time and time again lately that an average offense with a dominant defense does better than the reverse.
And who is Mahomes favorite weapon…his TE. Sound familiar?
Kyler went 4-4 last year with the 12th ranked offense in ppg and 15th ranked defense in ppg.
The only thing Cardinals need to do is improve the offense by about 10% to get to average (15th overall in pts). We are currently 21st and will get Jones and Hernandez back. This is more than enough to win 9-10 games, get the final wildcard at worst.
WAS and MINN schedule is brutal even compared to ours. SF defense will continue to regress while we add Nolan and Johnson back and perhaps even get Garrett Williams by the end of the year. Also Darius Robinson just got his first sack. SF will also likely lose to LAR this week.
Even if our defensive ppg sinks to 9th from 6th, we are still in line to make the playoffs with an average offense.
Expect SEA LAR and AZ to all make playoffs this year if we avoid further injuries.
People have been making a big deal about the Cardinals being 28th in “total yards.”
But the game comes down to scoring more TD’s and settling for less FGs. Leading in yards is not as indicative for a good offense as pts. And we will improve in yards as time goes on if we score more pts.
Just look at the top 5 defenses in “yards allowed.” That list includes the Browns, Falcons, Chargers, Buccaneers and 49ers. Only 1 of these teams had a good defense last season and the others have allowed a ton of points, especially SF last week vs JAX.
Wheras defensive ppg is the Texans, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Jaguars and then the Cardinals are 6th. 4 of those teams had very good defenses last year and the Jaguars and Cardinals appear to have improved dramatically.
Apply the same to offense. Yards may be more important on offensive but not as important as 3rd down conversions and red zone efficiency. Similarly, the best defenses are great at holding teams to FGs and forcing TOs. Like the Jaguars forced 4 TOs vs Brock Purdy. Like the Cardinals defense forced the 4th ranked Seattle offense to settle to FGs, which allowed our offense the ability to come back.
Mahomes was down by double digits in week 1 to the Chargers. A great defense but nowhere near the way Seattle has been playing. He couldn’t tie the game, partially because his defense let him down. Meanwhile, Cardinals defense and offense were both rolling in that 4th quarter. Who knows what happens if that kickoff doesn’t give SEA the ball on the 40 when we have backup CBs.
I am not comparing Mahomes and Murray or saying Murray is better. I am saying people are missing the fact that our 2 losses included two 4th quarter comebacks by our QB, one too vs a team that has dominated him and us and was playing the best football besides anyone maybe other than DET. And was much healthier.
The only issue this team has right now is consistency on offense and we have plenty of time to figure it out. If the Texan fans aren’t giving up with the 30th ranked scoring offense, that was much better last season with the same exact players (like AZ) neither should you.
3 comments
You might be right if your equating salary cap to value in the nfl honestly, qbs are overpaid for the value they bring to the team vs the value that take away.
They end up taking more value away from the team than their salary cap is worth if that makes sense
Some teams are different than others. Minnesota is a clear example, they’ve had so much success with backups/journeymen/reclamation projects with Keenum, Cousins, Darnold, and Bradford. It’s the culture they have and O’Connell at HC, we saw clear proof of that because we signed Bradford and looked how that ended up. Also QB’s do need to have a supporting cast but at the same time they need to be average-above average to help the whole team out, otherwise backup QB’s would be starting across the league.
You are just arguing against paying Kyler Murray a ton of money because the position is overrated. And I’d agree, let’s get rid of Kyler Murray and get a qb in the 1st round.