Arizona Cardinals Predictions: Schedule Will Allow Team to Stay in First Place Through Week 7

The Arizona Cardinals are the biggest surprise in the NFL this season and they are setting themselves up to finish with a winning record in 2012. With their 3-0 record and weak opponents in their next few games, chances are the Cardinal fans will enjoy first place for a couple of weeks.

That is right.

The Cardinals are in first place in the NFC West after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-6 on Sunday. The San Francisco 49ers dropped their game against the Minnesota Vikings, surprising many around the league. 

Now, after going 3-0, the Cardinals have a chance of starting their season 7-0, which would keep them in first place right before the midway point of the 2012 season. 

Their opponents in the following weeks feature teams with winning records, but with supbar offensive teams that could not compete against this tough Arizona defense.

Here is what the Cardinals' schedule looks like.

The Cardinals host the Miami Dolphins, who go into Week 4 with a 1-2 record, but with the fourth best rushing offense in the league. However, Reggie Bush is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a bad knee. Ryan Tannehill's offensive line better be ready.

Following their matchup against the Dolphins, the Cardinals travel to St. Louis to face the Rams, their NFC West rivals, in Week 4. Division rivals are always tough matches, but the Cardinals' defense, once again, should dictate the flow of this game. 

The Cardinals then receive the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. The Bills, similar to the Dolphins, have one of the top running games in the league. C.J. Spiller went out with a bad shoulder, but he might be back on the field by then. The Bills are expecting to get Fred Jackson back also, so the Cardinals might have a long day as their rushing defense is their weakness. However, Kevin Kolb showed how well he can use his weapons and they look like they can outpower an average Bills' defense. 

Week 7 ends the stretch of average teams that the Cardinals face. They travel out to Minnesota to play the Vikings. The scary part about this matchup is that the Vikings beat the 49ers and the Niners are considered by experts to be the best team in the NFC. 

Who knows where the Vikings will be by the time that both teams meet, but they possess a Top 10 defense. Their offense is average, similar to the Cardinals', but the more Kolb gets used to receivers and runners raises the chances that he and the offense will get it going throughout the season.

In Week 8 the Cardinals finally face a challenger in the 49ers. This will be the game that really determines if they are for real in 2012. A win against the 49ers would catapult them into the Top 3 teams in the league. (That is correct, though they have a 3-0 record I do not have them as one of the Top 3 teams in the league.)

If the 49ers lost to the Vikings, then chances are they might go 3-1 or 2-2 in their next four games as they face the Jets, Bills, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks. 

The Cardinals should try to win their next four games because their schedule is brutal late in the season. 

We leave you with the Cardinal's schedule after their matchup against the 49ers.