The Arizona Cardinals are going BACK to the Super Bowl! For many reasons, I had this overwhelming thought this weekend. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. They actually have a running game now that Beanie Wells has gotten going, and they have a nice 3rd down back in Hightower. Steve Breaston is a much more polished receiver now, giving them 3 legitimate options now in the passing game, 4 with Hightower on the field. Boldin's getting healthy, which he wasn't during last year's run. They have one of the best run defenses in football next to maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Ok. Cincy, SF, & Minny are all in the debate, but you get the idea.) Their defense in general is better than it was last year. They now have big-game experience thanks to last year's run. Their QB has already won a Super Bowl & played in 2 others. They're gaining momentum as the year goes on, and seem poised to peak at the perfect time. They're a perfect 4-0 on the road this year, with winnable trips to St. Louis, Tennessee, SF, and Detroit the rest of the way.
IMO, the Vikings & Saints are both flawed. The Saints give up way too many yards on defense. Sharper's been awesome, but they're too reliant on turnovers. Favre's been great, but we've already heard reports that he's hurting, and he's shown a tendency to fade late in seasons for several years now. Raise your hand if you think Favre will be able to keep this shit up through the playoffs. Personally, I doubt it. The Vikings are definately strong in many phases, but I just don't see them finishing the deal. He also has a very inexperienced receiving corps. I actually think the team with the best shot of stopping the Cards is the Giants, if they can somehow remember how to play defense during the bye & regain their edge.
Now, the question is, can they actually win it, or are they the Buffalo Bills? I do think it'll be either the Colts or the Patriots waiting for them, and I think I would look to back the underdog Cardinals in either matchup. They can be just as explosive on offense as either team. You can argue that they have or will have a better running game then either team, and you can argue that they're just as good as, if not better than either defense.
The Cardinals are +1015 to win the NFC, and +2550 to win the Super Bowl. Two numbers that will surely go nowhere but down from here on out. I'm grabbing them both now. Actually, I'm going to do some shopping for better prices today. My local doesn't have Super Bowl futures up anymore, so these #'s are from the Greek, which was the first place I checked. If anyone finds a better price, I'd appreciate the heads up. They should definately win their division, so I should at worst, have opportunities to hedge on this if I feel the need. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Arizona Cardinals to win NFC +1015
Arizona Cardinals to win the Super Bowl +2550
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