Madden 22: Our 2021 NFL season sim results in some wild predictions

Arizona Cardinals

4-13, 4th place in the NFC West

This is probably not what Cardinals fans want to see. Madden expects a major step back for the Cardinals from last year’s 8-8 record. Not only are the Cardinals projected to finish fourth in the NFC West, but Madden predicts them to be one of the worst teams in the league.

In the competitive NFC West, it’s possible that the Cardinals do struggle. It’s likely that they’ll even miss the playoffs. But I think a 4-13 record is a bit extreme. There’s too much talent on this team to underachieve like this.

Third-year quarterback Kyler Murray is projected to throw for 4,367 yards and 28 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. The game also predicts 454 rushing yards and two touchdowns for him on the ground. Again, this is a problem with Madden simulations in general — they fail to truly represent dual-threat quarterbacks with tremendous scrambling ability.

As a reminder, longtime receiver Larry Fitzgerald is no longer with the team but the offense didn’t seem to lose a beat. DeAndre Hopkins put together another stellar season with 102 receptions for 1,559 yards (second in the league) and 8 touchdowns.

Christian Kirk had 86 receptions for 826 yards and eight touchdowns while A.J. Green made his veteran presence known by adding 64 receptions for 591 yards and five touchdowns.

It’s not unreasonable to expect the Cardinals will miss the playoffs, but a 4-13 record is hard to believe. Should the Cardinals struggle as Madden predicts, Arizona might start to rethink their future with Kyler Murray as quarterback.