This season, the Arizona Cardinals have played fantastic football in all three phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams), which has led them to an 8-2 record and first place in the NFC West. 

This time last season, it was a different story in the desert. Arizona was 9-1 after defeating the Detroit Lions 14-6 in Week 11 with backup quarterback Drew Stanton. The week prior against the St. Louis Rams, the Cardinals had lost Carson Palmer to a torn ACL, ending his 2014 season.

Without Palmer or running back Andre Ellington for the last six games of the season, the Cardinals went 2-4 limping into the playoffs. In the playoffs, they took on the Carolina Panthers in the Wildcard round with Ryan Lindley as their starting quarterback. The Cardinals struggled and lost 27-16 ending their season.

Fast forward back to 2015 and the Cardinals are healthy, playing great, and looking to secure a first round bye in the playoffs. But their rise to first place in the NFC West and a second seed currently in the NFC was not easy as they had players such as Tyrann Mathieu, Ellington and Palmer all coming back from injury. Also, they knew that they had to make upgrades on both sides of the ball during the offseason if they wanted to take the next step towards a Super Bowl appearance.

Starting on the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals made it a priority to select some playmakers in the NFL Draft. In the third round, they selected running back David Johnson out of the University of Northern Iowa, and they selected wide receiver J.J. Nelson out of UAB in the fifth round. Johnson was going to be the backup to Ellington and provide the Cardinals with speed out of the backfield.

On the other hand, Nelson was joining a loaded receiver corps that had the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, 2014 third round pick John Brown, Michael Floyd and Jaron Brown. For Nelson to make the squad, he knew he had to bring an extra element to the team, which was his return ability. In his senior year, Nelson had four kickoff returns for a touchdown, averaging 38.3 yards per return.

Then in free agency and during the preseason, the Cardinals addressed the offense by signing former San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati to a five-year, $40 million contract to give Palmer more protection. Then during the preseason, Arizona signed veteran running back Chris Johnson and tight end Jermaine Gresham. The Cardinals signed both players to one-year deals. Johnson, who had a down year with the New York Jets in 2014, with only 663 rushing yards and a touchdown, was not guaranteed a spot on the Cardinals’ 53-man roster.

Johnson has been excellent this season becoming Arizona’s lead back, which has kept Ellington fresh. Through 10 games, Johnson has 797 rushing yards on 184 carries and three touchdowns.

Those additions the Cardinals made in the offseason have helped Palmer tremendously. Palmer, who is fully recovered from his ACL injury, has played like a MVP candidate. Through 10 games, he has passed for 3,066 yards, 27 touchdowns, nine interceptions and completed 64 percent of his passes. Palmer should shatter his previous career-high in touchdowns passes (32) without a problem. He is one of the reasons why the Cardinals are looking more like a Super Bowl contender. 

Another reason, why the Cardinals are looking like contenders are because their wide receivers have stepped their game up. Fitzgerald, who had a down year in 2014, has 73 receptions for 926 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. This season, Fitzgerald already has three games of 100 plus receiving yards. 

Then, when you take a look at 2014 third round pick John Brown, he has made a name for himself becoming the heir apparent to Fitzgerald. Despite dealing with a nagging hamstring injury this season, Brown has 40 receptions for 605 receiving yards and four touchdowns. In 2014, he only had 48 receptions for 696 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He is becoming a threat in the Cardinals’ vertical passing game.

Finally, Michael Floyd, who is also dealing with injuries, is also having a solid season. Floyd has 27 receptions for 432 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In Weeks 8 and 10, Floyd posted back-to-back 100 yard receiving games. If he can stay healthy, he is a perfect complement to Fitzgerald and Brown in the Cardinals’ offense.

While the Cardinals’ offense has received all the praise, the defense has played outstanding in 2015. This season, Arizona’s run defense is ranked sixth in the league, giving up 93.5 yards per game, while their passing defense is ranked fourth in league with opposing quarterbacks only completing 58.2 percent of their passes. They have also forced quarterbacks to throw 14 interceptions, which is ranked third in the league. The Cardinals’ scoring defense is ranked 13th in the league, giving up 21.6 points per game.

With those kind of stats, it is a recipe for success. Leading this fantastic play on defense is the cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu. This season, Peterson has 22 total tackles, five pass deflections and two interceptions. Not to mention, he contained Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green last Sunday.

His teammate, Mathieu has played just as good this season. The Honey Badger has played out of his mind with a career-high three interceptions, 12 pass deflections, 57 total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Mathieu should be a Pro Bowler this season.

Another former member of the secondary, who is playing better is linebacker Deone Bucannon. This season in James Bettcher’s defense, Bucannon has thrived as a linebacker. He has 70 total tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. That fumble recovery came in last Sunday’s game against the Bengals, which set up the Cardinals for a field goal to put them up 31-21.

All of these components have the Cardinals looking at a division title and a possible first-round bye in the playoffs.