Arizona Cardinals: Scoring Trends in Their 2021 Season

The Arizona Cardinals are enjoying a dream season with a 7-1 record. Despite last week’s hiccup against the Packers, the NFL betting lines are still hot on the Cardinals.

Arizona is preparing to rebound with a Week 9 divisional matchup with the 49ers. Read about the Cardinals’ scoring trends for an insight into the rest of their season.

Team Scoring

The offensive numbers for the Arizona Cardinals stack up well against the rest of the league. However, the most notable factor is the balance they display. The Cardinals are 7th in the NFL in both passing and rushing yards per game.

Those totals make the Cardinals 6th in yards gained overall. In addition, the team is averaging a healthy 30.8 points per game. Compare that to the 17 points the Cardinals are allowing, and it’s no wonder they are 7-1.

Arizona is scoring touchdowns with a similar balance. Kyler Murray has passed for 17 touchdowns, while the rushing duo of Chase Edmunds and James Conner has scored 12 times. In addition, the Arizona Cardinals’ defense has chipped in with one score.

While averaging 413.3 yards per game, the Cardinals also have a strong time of possession. Keeping the ball for 31.3 minutes a game also helps out the defense. But the most staggering number might be that the Cardinals are 7-7 on 4th down conversions.

Individual Performers

It’s impossible to discuss the Arizona Cardinals and scoring without talking about the quarterback first. Kyler Murray does things on a football field like no other. What he lacks in size, Murray makes up for it with his maneuverability.

Kyler is 5th in the NFL in QB rating, and touchdown passes. He also has three running touchdowns of his own. DeAndre Hopkins is the favored target with seven touchdowns, but Murray has spread the scoring around.

A.J. Green has three touchdown catches, and Christian Kirk has four. Newcomer Zack Ertz has already contributed with one touchdown catch, along with Rondale Moore.

But Kyler Murray isn’t the only factor in the Cardinals scoring trends. The rushing tandem of Chase Edmunds and James Conner are significant contributors. Edmunds takes most of the load in mid-field running, averaging 5.7 yards per rush.

Edmunds got his first rushing touchdown against Green Bay last week, but James Conner gets relied on for red-zone scoring. Conner has eight rushing TDs to his credit, and he’s also a threat to catch passes out of the backfield.

Kliff Kingsbury has given Kyler Murray an array of weapons to work with to score, and the quarterback has used them all. Seven different receivers have more than ten catches.

Arizona Cardinals Week 9

Kyler Murray’s status is still a question for this week’s game in San Francisco. While Murray’s mobility will be missed if he can’t go, Colt McCoy is an able passer, and he will still have the two-headed running monster behind him.

Expect Chase Edmunds and James Conner to get plenty of touches in Week 9. A commitment to the running game will open up lanes for McCoy to hit his receivers. If Murray does play, he will adjust to limited mobility.

The division-leading Arizona Cardinals are 1-point favorites going against the 3-4 49ers. My pick is with the scoring power of the Cardinals.

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