A look at the highs and lows of the first half of the season for the Arizona Cardinals and what to expect in the season’s second half:
Midseason MVP: Chris Johnson. Most would think quarterback Carson Palmer would be the choice for the Cardinals’ midseason MVP, and he has been to an extent, but what Johnson has brought to the offense can’t be matched. He is averaging 4.79 yards per carry through eight games; the Cardinals averaged 3.3 last season. He has single-handedly forced defenses to respect the run, which has allowed the Cardinals’ passing game to flourish and Arizona to be the second highest-scoring team in the NFL.
Best moment: There could have been a few. Carson Palmer simply taking the field or Andre Ellington's 63-yard touchdown run or Chris Johnson’s 30-yard run against San Francisco, which showed he was still very much Chris Johnson. But the most important moment for the Cardinals was halftime on Sunday in Cleveland. Coach Bruce Arians went on a rant, a tirade, a tear, and Arizona responded by winning this season's first game in which it had a negative turnover margin. That was crucial for the Cards' psyche going into the second half of the season, during which they will have the league's third-toughest remaining schedule, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Worst moment: Losing to Pittsburgh. It was a game that Arizona should have won. The Cardinals spent a week at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia following a blowout win over the Detroit Lions in Week 5. The primary reason was for their bodies to adapt to being on Eastern time, instead of dealing with two cross-country trips in less than a week. But it didn’t matter. The Cardinals came out flat and ill prepared for Pittsburgh’s third-string quarterback, Landry Jones, who threw two touchdowns, while Palmer tossed two picks to one touchdown.
Mark your calendar: With how the Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers have been playing, they’re on a collision course for a Week 16 matchup that likely will decide who gets the NFC's top seed -- or, at worst, who gets home-field advantage. This also has a very good possibility of being a preview of the NFC championship game. According to the ESPN NFL Football Power Index, the Cardinals (56.6) and Packers (42.7) have the two best chances of making the NFC Championship Game.
Key to second half: There are a few keys, but the most important to allowing Arizona to become a legitimate contender late in January will be the ability to withstand lulls, offensively and defensively. Arizona will also have to continue running the ball. They have the NFL’s third-leading rusher in Johnson, and he has shown how a consistent running game can open up an entire offense. But that all leads to this: Arizona needs to win the games it’s expected to win.