photo courtesy of azcardinals.comAll week I’ve been wondering what the chances are of the Arizona Cardinals making the playoffs. So like most football fans this time of year, I started doing the math to see just how possible that is. My math was just good enough to get a general idea of what the Cardinals and other teams will need to do in order for Arizona to reach the postseason but my math wasn’t accurate enough. Fortunately, I was recently sent a link called sportsclubstats.com which is a site that helps break down the probability of Arizona making the playoffs.

Lets discuss the chance of the Cardinals making the playoffs using sportsclubstats.com’s statistics.  

As most Cardinal fans know Arizona needs to win their last 3 games to have a chance at the playoffs. As of right now the Cardinals have an 8.3% chance of making it to the postseason. If the Cardinals finish the last 3 games of their season 2-1 it will put them at 8-8 giving them a 7% chance at the playoffs. If Arizona finishes 3-0 for the final 3 games putting them at 9-7 they would have a 45.6% chance at getting in. However, a loss to the Saints this Sunday would reduce those odds to 0.5%, so you can see why this game is truly a must win. A win against the New Orleans Saints would boost the Cardinals chance at the playoffs to 16.2% for the moment. Obviously all this can be changed based on how the Vikings, Lions, and Redskins do in their games. Right now the Vikings have a  43% chance to get in the playoffs, the Saints have a 20.1% chance, the Redskins have a 17% chance, and Lions odds are at 8.3%.

So for the time being the Vikings are the only team that control their own destiny. All the Cardinals can do is win out and hope for the best. This up and coming game with the Saints is the season for Arizona. A loss here and they’re done, a win and they have two fairly easy teams left to play in Atlanta and St.Louis. Finishing 3-0 is possible, and we know anything can happen in football. In 1998 the Cardinals were 6-7 and needed to finish 3-0 to make the playoffs and they did it, lets hope for a repeat.

 

 

Join the discussion at The Fanster Forums. Arizona Sports 24/7.