Here’s The Game Day’s tip on the Arizona Cardinals 2021 Make NFL Playoffs bet. See what our pick is for wagering on this 2021 NFL futures bet.
Cardinals 2021 Make NFL Playoffs Bet: Pick Yes Or No For Arizona?
Arizona: Make Playoffs In the 2021 Season?
Yes (+185)
No (-225)
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Arizona Cardinals 2021 Schedule Opponents
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Carolina Panthers
- @Chicago Bears
- @Dallas Cowboys
- @Detroit Lions
- @Jacksonvile Jaguars
- @Los Angeles Rams
- @San Francisco 49ers
- @Seattle Seahawks
- @Tennessee Titans
- @Cleveland Browns
The Cardinals were a better team than their 8-8 2020 record suggests. In fact, they finished 13th in PPG scored (25.6) and 12th in PPG allowed (22.9).
At one point, the Cardinals appeared poised for the playoffs. While they opened the year with a 6-3 record, they collapsed in the second half, losing five of their final seven games, including two straight intra-NFC West games that could have gotten them into the postseason with some help.
Why did the Cardinals begin to stall? You can make the case that Arizona’s regression runs in line with a Kyler Murray shoulder injury suffered in Week 11. While he did not miss time as a result of the ailing shoulder, it did slow him down, especially as a rusher. It makes sense. Week 11 marked the beginning of a three-game losing streak. And although the Cardinals would bounce back with two consecutive victories, they would end the season with the aforementioned pair of losses inside the NFC West.
A team on the brink of contention, GM Steve Keim made splashy moves this offseason to give HC Kliff Kingsbury a greater chance at making a run in 2021.
2021 Arizona Cardinals Key Losses
- CB Patrick Peterson
- RB Kenyan Drake
- DE Haason Reddick
- TE Dan Arnold
- K Zane Gonzalez
- C Mason Cole
- WR Larry Fitzgerald (unsigned)
2021 Arizona Cardinals Key Additions/2021 NFL Draft Picks
- RB James Conner
- WR A.J. Green
- DE J.J. Watt
- K Matt Prater
- S Shawn Williams
- C Rodney Hudson
- CB Malcolm Butler
- OG Brian Winters
- WR Rondale Moore
- LB Zaven Collins
Despite key losses that include Drake and Fitzgerald on offense, the Cardinals bolstered those positions with risky, high-ceiling assets. If Green and Conner can remain on the field and can play anywhere close to their potential, the Cardinals’ offense will be that much more explosive in 2021 than it was last year. The addition of Moore in the NFL Draft will also give Murray another big-play threat at his disposal. Moore also gives the team insurance if Greens suffers an injury or is indeed washed up.
Defensively, the greatest departures the Cardinals suffered came at the hands of Reddick and Peterson. However, they brought in Watt and Butler to fill the voids. Similar to Green and Conner, if Watt can stay healthy, the former defensive MVP could dramatically change Arizona’s defense and put them into the top 10.
I also want to note Collins’ addition in the draft. Collins and Isaiah Simmons, last year’s first-round pick, give DC Vance Joseph a pair of versatile mid-level players that could prove menacing for the enemy offense. Arizona’s defensive front seven could pop as a top-five unit in the NFL if Collins and Simmons both play up to their first-round draft stock.
Cardinals 2021 Make NFL Playoffs Bet: Yes Or No For Arizona?
Cardinals Make 2021 NFL Playoffs? YES (+185)
I am all-in on the Cardinals to make the postseason in 2021, which is Kingsbury and Murray’s year three together. They were trending in the right direction last season before Murray’s Week 11 shoulder injury. Arizona’s offseason additions, if healthy, could change the game for the team overall. Keim’s offseason personnel movements also suggest that he is going all-in on a Super Bowl run.
The Cardinals play in one of, if not the toughest division in the NFL. They managed a .500 record last year, but that won’t be enough to get them into the playoffs this year. With the extra game on the slate, the Cardinals must pull out 10 wins.
Including division foes, the Cardinals will face six teams that won 10+ games in 2020. They will also face off against the Cowboys, 49ers, Bears, Jaguars, and Vikings; all teams expected to take a positive step in the right direction.
It will be a tough road to 10+ wins and a postseason berth, but the Cardinals are not only a team I believe will make the playoffs this season, but I would also take them as a sleeper team to win Super Bowl 56. As I said at the top, I am all-in on the Cardinals in 2021.
