Heat Waved
Fansided

Arizona Cardinals: ESPN’s Jaworski Optimistic of Playoff Chances

By Griffin Fabits

Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Washington Redskins at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; General view of the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Washington Redskins at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Ron Jaworski of ESPN told Arizona Sports on 98.7 FM he believes the Arizona Cardinals will sneak into the playoffs thanks to five-straight wins.

The Arizona Cardinals will need a miracle if they want to reach the postseason.

Scratch that.

They’ll need four miracles, since that seems to be their magic number. With just four games left in the regular season, they have a shot to end the season at 9-6-1, and Ron Jaworski of ESPN told Burns and Gambo of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that he believes the Cardinals will be able to reach that nine win plateau. He says it will be just enough to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

As Jaworski notes, the Cardinals have three winnable games in their last four weeks of the season. They travel to Miami this week, host the New Orleans Saints, and play on the road in Seattle and Los Angeles. Obviously the road trip to Seattle will be their toughest test, but Jaworski believes the Cards will win out and slip into the playoffs.

"“I think there’s more than hope, I think they’re going to be a playoff team,” Jaworski said. “I believe the Cardinals will be a playoff team. (Finishing) 9-6-1 will get them in the playoffs. I think they can win their next four games. Obviously, the big test is going to be the Seattle Seahawks, but the other games are winnable football games. Call me crazy but that’s how I see it.”"

Jaworski does have a point. The Cardinals could very well win against the Dolphins, Saints, and Rams. Their Week 16 date with the Seattle Seahawks could make-or-break their season if they are able to win these next two games.

However, there are a few reasons as to why I believe that might be too much to wish for.

To start, if the Cardinals followed the projected path of Jaworski, they would finish the regular season with a five-game winning streak. The Cardinals longest win-streak this season came in Weeks 5 and 6, when they beat the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets. Those back-to-back dubs is good for their longest streak of the season, and they haven’t won two-straight since then. Asking the Cardinals to rattle off five-straight wins isn’t practical. But, hey, it would be nice.

Secondly, winning a game in Seattle is hard. Ask the Carolina Panthers, who were just routed there last Sunday, 40-7. The last time they even lost at home came last December in Week 16, when they lost 23-17 to the Rams.

Plus, the Seahawks are a good football team. Their 8-3-1 record is good for first place in the NFC West Division and they’ve rattled off four wins in their last five games.

Jaworski is a believer, and we all should be, too. It is definitely possible to win the next four games and ride into the playoffs with momentum that would be hard to stop. But, it’s still asking a lot from a team that has stumbled through thirteen weeks.

Next: Arizona Cardinals: The Year that Could Have and Should Have Been

A win this week in Miami is the first step they need to take as they begin to conquer the final four weeks of a wild regular season.

Home/Arizona Cardinals