The Cardinals scored 42 more points in a blowout victory over the winless Lions Sunday in Detroit, moving to 4-1 while strengthening their lead in the NFC West. That 4-1 record is impressive by itself, but the way Arizona is blowing teams out through five games matches some of the most impressive team starts in NFL history.
The Cardinals’ offense is off to one of the most impressive starts in NFL history
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
With the win, the Cardinals have now outscored their five opponents by 100 points, one of only nine teams to have managed that feat that since the merger in 1970. In their four wins, Arizona’s average margin of victory has been 25.5 points, or an average score of 42-16.5. Those are some ass whippings.
The last team with a point differential of 100-plus through five games were the 2007 Patriots, who, as you remember, were completely dominant for the first five weeks with a +117 point differential and that success carried all the way through the season. That team went 16-0 in the regular season before losing in the Super Bowl, and while I'm not comparing this Cardinals team to that Tom Brady-Wes Welker-Randy Moss triumvirate, it does put this Arizona start into some perspective.
The Cardinals are doing it with big names like Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Chris Johnson, but also with guys like John Brown, and David Johnson. Arizona may not have Brady, Welker, and Moss, but their 190 points is 7th most through a team's first five games in NFL history.
The scary part? Their defense -- which forced five turnovers today -- is really good too. Their special teams isn’t chopped liver. Watch out for this Cardinals team.
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