Right about now, most Cardinals fans have already prepared themselves for an early playoff exit. After surging to a 10-2 record and having dreams of bye weeks and 1 seeds, the Cardinals season has collapsed on itself.
Most recently, the Cardinals had a limp performance on both sides of the ball in a season ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks who had absolutely nothing to play for.
Now, they face the Los Angeles Rams for a third time this season.
While the Cardinals face an uphill battle to reclaim their lost momentum, at least one prominent former quarterback thinks the Cardinals still have a great chance at some postseason success.
Six time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb joined me for his weekly interview (courtesy of the CAZ Sports Bar inside of Casino Arizona) and offered this surprising prediction for the Cardinals and Rams game this Monday night:
"On paper, I love what the Rams are but they haven't shown it all season. So, I like the Arizona Cardinals in this matchup. One - I think for Arizona, this is their time to take that extra step (towards achieving a Super Bowl title). But you also have to take into account, in this particular game, there are two Quarterbacks who both don't have playoff wins. There isn't any experience factor from the Quarterback position going into this game. It's evenly matched from that standpoint, I'm gonna go with the Arizona Cardinals to win this game."
McNabb also believes that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is ready to take the next step in his development and could be the key for the Cardinals postseason success:
"(Kyler) needs to form that comfort level. To get where Drew Brees became successful. Dropping back and stepping up into windows. You're allowed to see the field (easier). Sometimes, I think that is why Kyler's (dropbacks) are so deep - so that he can look over (linemen/defenders). What he fails to realize is that in order to peruse the middle of the field, the hash marks area, you have to be able to step up into the throwing pocket. That's usually in your A & B Block. For Kyler, once he gets to that comfort level (it'll lead to more success within the pocket). We've had shorter Quarterbacks who have been successful such as Doug Flutie, Drew Brees, Fran Tarkenton - not so much extending plays outside of the pocket - but being able to slide up inside the pocket and hit Tight Ends, Slot Receiver coming across the middle."
For more of McNabb's thoughts on the upcoming Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, how much leadership impacts a successful postseason and which other Cardinals players may need to step up, listen to the full interview below.