Who is Most Likely to Miss the NFL Postseason After Appearing in 2021?

4. Arizona Cardinals (11-6 in 2021)

The Arizona Cardinals opened the 2021 season by winning their first seven games, with all but one victory being by a touchdown or more. They were not just winning, they were dominating. A large part of the winning recipe was the fact that quarterback Kyler Murray was playing at an MVP level. From Oct. 28 to the end of the regular season, the team dropped six of the final ten games.

Deandre Hopkins’ injury was largely considered the culprit, but Kyler Murray was banged up as well and coach Kliff Kingsbury has a history of not finishing seasons strong. This leads us to today. The Cardinals hoped to get Hopkins back this season, but due to a suspension, they will be without the star wide receiver for the first six contests in 2022.

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was brought in to not only serve as a running mate for Hopkins, but also as a replacement at WR1 the first month and a half of the season. Still, unless Kingsbury has finally made an adjustment to his offense without Hop, coupled with the uncertainty regarding Kyler Murray’s contract, is not the best combination. The franchise also lost franchise legend Chandler Jones via free agency, dealing a major blow to the defensive unit. The Cardinals have a seemingly uphill battle for a playoff spot, even in a down NFC.

3. Dallas Cowboys (12-5 in 2021)

I am fully expecting to hear it from Cowboys fans for this one, but I am steadfast in my belief that they will take a step back in 2022. Trading Amari Cooper makes sense when you factor in that Michael Gallup was retained on a strong deal.

The issue is that Gallup is in likely to be ready for week one, at least in terms of being 100% healthy. This leaves CeeDee Lamb and rookie Jalen Tolbert to take most of the target share. Lamb is a stud, but still has to prove he can be the guy for a full season and Tolbert is talented but his game is very raw. Furthermore, the offensive line is strong when healthy but it’s always a coin flip as to whether they will be or not. Zeke isn’t washed, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that Tony Pollard is the best running back in Dallas.

Will Mike McCarthy recognize that? As far as the defense goes, any unit with Micah Parsons will be stout. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s very few players that move me on that defense right now. The Eagles are greatly improved and of the five other NFC playoff teams from 2021, the Cowboys are the least likely to get a seat at the table this coming season.