Are the Arizona Cardinals a better team on the road than at home?
The Arizona Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in the NFC, albeit the entire league. They are tied for the best record in the NFC, much of which has a lot to do with their record on the road. The Cardinals are currently 7-0 on the road and 3-3 when playing at home.
Sometimes teams find a way to churn out their road wins, which tends to be more valuable considering the fact that winning at home tends to be more difficult. The Cardinals losing more at home would mean losing more to divisional opponents, perhaps it would matter more if they didn't have the best record in the league.
Why are the Cardinals road wins so important?
The Arizona Cardinals are 10-3, the same record as the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but their road wins could help boost them out of third place and into the playoff picture. The Cardinals are currently in third place due to losing to the Packers, and the Bucs have a better home record.
Why are the Cardinals such a better team on the road than at home? @gmfb https://t.co/r6TmRTPiqJ
Should the Cardinals find ways to beat their away opponents, they might end up in a more favorable position than both the Packers and Bucs. The Packers currently have a 4-3 record in road games and the Bucs have that same road record. However, they both have 6-0 home records, which is why they are edging out the Cardinals in the playoff picture.
The Cardinals will need to add to their home wins by a few to secure the #1 seed in the playoffs. At the bare minimum, the team will at least want to clinch the #2 seed, which still comes with a first-round bye in the playoffs. Homefield advantage heavily matters, but having an extra week to rest and prepare would be great too.
Road wins are supposedly harder games, so the fact that the Cardinals are undefeated in that category is phenomenal. They might end up in a much better playoff position if they can secure some more home wins, especially raising that number higher than that of the Bucs and Packers wins on the road.
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The top of the NFC will be a grueling battle between those three teams, but the Cardinals have a much more favorable road record. The Rams play the Colts and Seahawks at home and will need both those wins to help secure one of the top two spots in the NFC.
The Cardinals doing mediocre work at home is what has resulted in them being the #3 seed at the moment, but they still have a shot to climb the NFC ranks. Being a significantly better team on the road might be their only saving grace for achieving a better seeding in the playoffs.