Arizona Cardinals Division Given Surprise Outlook

The Arizona Cardinals play in one of the most consistently tough divisions in football, though the NFC West is beginning to show signs of vulnerability.

Still, it's going to be tough to become perennial contenders in a division with Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and the inevitable 10-win season that is the Seattle Seahawks.

NFL.com's Eric Edholm ranked all eight NFL divisions. Surprisingly enough, the NFC West came in at a below-average fifth.

Arizona Cardinals' Division Given Surprise Outlook

"The West was tightly packed a year ago, with all four teams in playoff contention in mid-December. It's also telling that the division's worst team, six-win San Francisco, was viewed as something of a fluke, considering the 49ers had averaged nearly double that number of victories in the previous three seasons," Edholm wrote.

"I expect the Niners to bounce back this season, even with a slew of offseason personnel losses. They were ravaged by injury in 2024 and went 2-6 in one-score games, and they face a much kinder schedule in 2025."

This seems to be a recurrent theme. The 49ers are the trendiest bounce-back candidate in the NFL, and it's not totally unwarranted, although I believe a beleaguered roster is getting a bit too much credit.

"This might not profile as one of Kyle Shanahan's most dangerous clubs right now, but a return to double-digit wins shouldn't surprise anyone," Edholm wrote.

But outside of San Francisco, there lurks three question marks. The Cardinals are on the rise, the Seahawks are an unknown, and the Rams are always dangerous, but sometimes inconsistent.

"The Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks all could be competitive once again, although Seattle might be the least-known quantity of the group right now. If Sam Darnold and a reconfigured offensive line come together, the run game and defense could push the 'Hawks into the playoffs," Edholm continued.

"Arizona has been on a slow burn since Jonathan Gannon took over in 2023. Now this team must show it can make the necessary improvements defensively and iron out the offensive inconsistencies in order to earn more wins.

"The Cardinals were 6-4 a year ago before collapsing after the bye," he wrote.

Arizona does have a lot to prove, but there should at least be some level of confidence that they can take the next step. There's nothing suggesting they can't, especially with a defensive facelift.

Questions about Kyler Murray and the offense aside, the Cardinals went 3-3 in division play in 2024, and could easily see that record improve in 2025.

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