Road victories put Cardinals in prime position
October, 26, 2009
Oct 26
3:48
PM ET
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
While Cardinals and 49ers fans spar over their teams' standing, I'll take sides in this one by declaring Arizona an even stronger favorite to win the division.
I think the Cardinals are in good shape to win at least nine and probably 10 games this season.
They are 3-0 on the road already and I think they can win at least two more road games. They face the Bears, Rams, Titans, 49ers and Lions on the road. Arizona could be favored to win at least three of those games.
Let's say the Cardinals go 5-3 on the road, a conservative estimate. Arizona is 1-2 at home so far. That means the Cardinals would need to win four of their five remaining home games to finish with a 10-6 record. The home schedule features the Panthers, Seahawks, Vikings, Rams and Packers.
The way things stand, I would like Arizona's chances against the Panthers, Seahawks, Rams and probably the Packers as well.
The 49ers still have a good chance at finishing 8-8, matching my expectations for them. But they probably need to finish better than that for team president Jed York to be right about the team playing past the Jan. 3 regular-season finale at St. Louis.
What about the Seahawks? I'll address their situation shortly.
While Cardinals and 49ers fans spar over their teams' standing, I'll take sides in this one by declaring Arizona an even stronger favorite to win the division.
I think the Cardinals are in good shape to win at least nine and probably 10 games this season.
They are 3-0 on the road already and I think they can win at least two more road games. They face the Bears, Rams, Titans, 49ers and Lions on the road. Arizona could be favored to win at least three of those games.
Let's say the Cardinals go 5-3 on the road, a conservative estimate. Arizona is 1-2 at home so far. That means the Cardinals would need to win four of their five remaining home games to finish with a 10-6 record. The home schedule features the Panthers, Seahawks, Vikings, Rams and Packers.
The way things stand, I would like Arizona's chances against the Panthers, Seahawks, Rams and probably the Packers as well.
The 49ers still have a good chance at finishing 8-8, matching my expectations for them. But they probably need to finish better than that for team president Jed York to be right about the team playing past the Jan. 3 regular-season finale at St. Louis.
What about the Seahawks? I'll address their situation shortly.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.