The Arizona Cardinals are beginning to get some attention as a team that could surprise people in 2020. They believe they will be able to compete in the NFC. However, projections from ESPN’s Mike Clay has both an optimistic and a pessimistic outlook.
He released his team projections after the 2020 draft.
Post-draft 2020 NFL team projections and playoff teams + 2021 draft order. #ClayProjections pic.twitter.com/UxFbUPAGy7
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 4, 2020
He has the Cardinals finishing last in the NFC West, projecting a record of 7.5 wins and 8.5 losses. They come in just behind the L.A. Rams, who are projected to have 7.6 wins and 8.4 losses.
Essentially, they end up around .500, which is a very reasonable projection for the Cardinals.
There are a couple of notable tidbits in the projections.
Clay projects they will score 390 points, the 12th-highest total in the league. That would be an average of nearly 25 points a game.
This, of course, is a positive outlook.
However, they are also projected to allow 404 points, the fifth-highest total in the league, based on the projections.
Those are not good projections, especially considering the investment the Cardinals made defensively in free agency and the draft.
If the Cardinals are to make real improvements in 2020, they will need to make the projected offensive jump, but they can’t afford — and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph can’t afford — a bottom-five defense again.
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Ep. 266
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Ep.265
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