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The Cardinals finished 8-8 a year ago and they managed without a quarter. Yes, Carson Palmer started seven games, but at age 38, he was no longer the same player he was. The other nine starts were split between Blaine Gabbert and Drew Stanton. And with a fourth ranked defense in the league, according to Football Outsiders statistics – and third in 2016 – finding a replacement or better quarterback could be the difference between another season of mediocrity and the playoffs.
Or else the theory is gone.
The good news is that in the first month of the season, the defense is ranked eleventh. It is therefore quite low in the list of problems that affect this team.
Thirty-year-old Sam Bradford signed a one-year, $ 20 million contract and drafted Josh Rosen 10th overall. Unsurprisingly, Bradford was named a starter, in part because he played well at recent stops in Philly and Minnesota, and partly because there did not seem to be any reason to bring Rosen home. inexperienced on the ground.
The reality was, however, very different. In three starts, Bradford has only completed 62.5% of his throws and has only two touchdowns, four interceptions and two lost fumbles. He averaged 5.0 yards per attempt and, in terms of value per game and total value, he was ranked 32nd in the league, ahead of Tyrod Taylor and Josh Allen.
Ouch.
So, in the third week against the Bears, two minutes from the end of the game, freshman Steve Wilks put Bradford in Rosen's place. Not exactly ideal circumstances to make your rookie debut; Rosen had 4 points out of 7 for 36 yards and an interception, but he was named starter for the 4th week and he gave a glimpse of why the Cardinals had hope. Yes, he finished 15 of 27 for 180 yards with a touchdown and no turnaround, but that does not tell the whole story. According to Pro Football Focus, he was pressured into 14 of his 30 defeats and had to overcome several loose passes that contradicted his accuracy.
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"I thought he was playing well, I thought he was giving us every chance of winning this football game," said Wilks, aged 0 to 4, on Monday. "Very balanced, a great leader, placed the ball where it was needed, I loved how he controlled the attack and how we went sometimes on the pitch."
Now the question is whether Rosen, who seems to be the solution to the quarterback, can overcome all the other offensive problems to make Arizona competitive. Their best chance could be Sunday when the Cards go to San Francisco to face Jimmy Garoppolo 49ers, who are 1-3 on the season.
(Note: In the table below, the teams are ranked from "more likely to have choice # 1 in the NFL 2019 draft" to "less likely" using two different methods. weighted by record of 2017 "contains as its name indicates: the teams are first sorted by order of 18, then by 17. The other column is sorted by the" project ". preliminary order of the season prepared by SportsLine ". our newest NFL model project in 2019 if you want to see who each team is taking.)
* Chicago sent its first round pick 2019 to Oakland as part of Khalil Mack's exchange.
** New Orleans sent its 2019 first-round pick to Green Bay for Marcus Davenport in 2018.
Arizona to San Francisco
Line: 49ers -4.5
C.J. Beathard was pretty good last week to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, whose season is over after a torn ACL. Josh Rosen looked very good too, early in his career in the NFL. Yes, the Cards still lost, but they scored 17 points, a high for the season, they finally found a way to get David Johnson involved. Rosen's modest stats (15 out of 27 for 180 yards, one touchdown and no losses) contradict an impressive effort by a rookie in less than ideal circumstances. We do not know if the Cards will win their first game of the season on Sunday, but they are getting closer.
Tennessee to Buffalo
Line: Titans -3.5
The Titans are the best team nobody talks about. Mike Vrabel got off to a good start during his first month as a coach and Marcus Mariota had one of the best games of his career in Sunday's overtime win against the Eagles. So impressive: Harold Landry, second rookie, who was inexplicably neglected as a first-round talent, leaving several teams now regretting the decision to let him go. Unexpectedly, the Super Bowl of the Bills arrived two weeks ago when they traveled to Minnesota to whip the Vikings. This was also a disaster in Buffalo, where only the cardinals were rated better (under-57 to under-56). When you lose on average two touchdowns, things are so far away from the rails that you can not see the tracks anymore.
Denver to N.Y. Jets
Line: Jets -1
Remember when the Jets smoked Lions in the first game of the season? It seems like four years ago. They scored 48 points in Detroit. In all three games since then – all losses – they have had a combined total of 41. In those three defeats, rookie quarterback Sam Darnold completed less than 55% of his throws and scored one touchdown against four choices. The Broncos looked good against the Chiefs on Monday, but not enough to defeat Patrick Mahomes. Fortunately for them, they will not face Mahomes on Sunday.
Green Bay in Detroit
Line: Packers -1.5
Is there a bigger puzzle than Lions? They were swept away by the Jets, never really had the opportunity to beat the 49ers, then beat the Patriots before falling to the Cowboys last week. At 1-3, they are in last place in the division and, given the way the underground Bears are now evolving, we do not see Lions changing positions any time soon. The good news is that Detroit beat Green Bay twice last season. The bad news is that Brett Hundley has been the quarterback both times.
Oakland at L.A. Chargers
Line: Chargers -5.5
The Raiders finally won a match – yes, it was against the Browns but it was Jon Gruden's first victory in 3,592 days – and they will now win two consecutive wins for the first time since the weeks 12 and 13 last season. (The last time Gruden won at least two games in a row he had a four-game winning streak with the Bucs in 2008, his last season with the team.)), The leaders and rams. If Philip Rivers knows a wave of turnover and Derek Carr continues to play the role of Gruden's offensive player, the Chargers could certainly lose Sunday, but we are still not convinced that Gruden is asking this team to 39, buy what he sells.
N.Y. Giants at Carolina
Line: Panthers -7
We need a reason – for whatever reason – to believe in the Giants. To date, they have not provided any, and despite a post-season review, at least on paper, remains one of the worst teams in the NFL. It was in full demonstration last week against the Saints, who conceded 48 points to the Bucs, 38 points to the Falcons and who should have lost to the Browns. Instead, the Giants were outclassed at home, losing by two touchdowns and without a clear solution to anything that afflicts them. The Panthers, meanwhile, have just left their time and added Eric Reid to the security checklist. Given the league's bad defenses this season, especially in New York, it's amazing that Reid has stayed at work for so long. A win for the Panthers could propel them to first place in the division, according to the Saints' position against the Redskins on Monday night.
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