It has been a turbulent offseason for the Arizona Cardinals.

After finishing 5-10-1 in 2019 and fourth in the NFC West, the Cardinals suddenly find themselves as one of the dark horses to make the playoffs in 2020. That would mark their first return to the postseason since 2015. But how realistic is that scenario?

After a blockbuster trade that brought four-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins to Glendale, in exchange for running back David Johnson, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick, the stock of the Cardinals immediately started to rise.

With Hopkins as the No. 1 receiver on the Cardinals, he is going to command a lot of attention from opposing secondaries. Given the additional weapons on offense such as Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and Kenyan Drake, second-year quarterback Kyler Murray is expected to have a breakout season on his own, elevating him into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks.

Murray, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 with the Cardinals, is listed as one of the favorites to become Most Valuable Player in 2020. After Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson each won the prestigeous award in their second season as a starter, the 23-year-old is now expected to have similar success. And given what Murray was able to do in his first year, with way less firepower on offense to work with, this prediction does not seem far-fetched.

Also, it is not just the offense that is most likely going to improve in 2020. The Cardinals loaded up on the defensive side of the ball, extending the contract of starting safety Budda Baker and drafting former Clemson Tiger Isaiah Simmons. While Baker established himself as one of the best safeties in the league, Simmons is the prototypical modern defensive player; a hybrid linebacker that can play safety, rush the quarterback and is solid against the run and in pass coverage.

Taking all of these things into account, it is no surprise that the Arizona Cardinals are viewed as a potential playoff team – especially with the new format that adds one extra wild-card spot per conference.

Now, while these arguments are legitimate and the Cardinals are surely going to end up with a better record than in 2019, expecting them to make the playoffs is a little too much nonetheless.

First of all, even though the number of playoff teams in the NFC increases to seven, it is still only seven.

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Arizona plays in the NFC West, arguably the toughest division in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks are all teams build for a run at the Super Bowl. Seattle went all-in this off-season with trades and free agency moves, San Francisco and Los Angeles have been to the Super Bowl in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 respectively. The Cardinals have to play each of these teams twice.

Their schedule might not be the hardest in total but it probably will not allow the Cardinals to win their own division. Thus, 4 of the 7 spots are already taken.

Perhaps, taking a look at the respective divisions does the trick to sum up the situation for the Cardinals. The NFC East features Dallas and Philadelphia as potential Super Bowl contenders. In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers are the favorites to win with Minnesota, who did pretty well last season, also in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then, we have the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and the newly-formed powerhouse, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, each having playoff aspirations as well. Finally, the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks can be added to the list of playoff contenders.

In conclusion, there are roughly 10 other teams in the NFC that will be in the hunt for seven playoff spots, Cardinals not included. Taking away each division winner leaves the Cardinals competing with six other teams for three spots. Therefore, the Birds would have to end up with a better record than four other teams, that did also not win their division, in order to make the playoffs. Is anyone really betting on that happening?