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Don't pay too much attention to media projections that have the Cardinals missing the playoffs in 2024. Those projections are intended to prey on your emotions. The NFL season is wildly unpredictable.

-- CRAIG MORGAN

Do preseason predictions matter?

The NFL season previews are published for most media outlets around the country. There is a general consensus among them when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals. They'll be somewhere around mediocre and they won't be a playoff team.
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Here's a sampling of those predictions:
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ESPN projects the Cardinals as the 23rd best team in the 32-team NFL, finishing last in the NFC West with 7.2 wins, based on its model.

The Athletic projects the Cardinals as the 25th best team in the NFL, finishing last in the NFC West with 7.1 wins, based on its model.
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NFL.com projects the Cardinals to finish 27th in the NFL and last in the NFC West.

Sports Illustrated projects the Cardinals to finish third in the NFC West with nine wins, but losing out in a playoff tiebreaker to the Bears.

We could cite more outlets but you get the picture. Most outlets agree that the Cardinals will be improved this season. GM Monti Ossenfort's roster overhaul has increased the team's overall talent and depth. Jonathan Gannon's coaching approach is connecting with players. Quarterback Kyler Murray feels rejuvenated and star-potential receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is in the house to beef up a talented offense.

On the flip side, a defense that was among the worst in the NFL last season made only slight improvements to the front seven, then lost edge rusher BJ Ojulari for the season, and defensive linemen Darius Robinson for the first quarter or so of the season, robbing an undermanned unit of Ossenfort's two highest defensive draft picks.

So what does it all mean? Well, nothing, of course. As an educated Cardinals fan, you have the same superficial assessment of the team heading into the 2024 season, but in a sport that features 22 men on the field on every given play (unless someone has made a mistake), there are too many variables to know what's coming with any degree of accuracy.

Injuries will play a role in every team's fortunes. Some players will exceed expectations. Others will not. One or two plays will swing teams' fortunes one direction or the other in a league where 50 to 60 percent of games are decided by one score.

We have already told you how common a jump in wins can be for a coach going into his second year, and the NFL is littered every season with teams that underachieved significantly, or overachieved significantly, based on preseason projections. It is a league built for quick turnarounds and parity, due to the salary-cap structure.

More to the point, media projections are silly. As a media member of more than 20 years, I can confirm your long-held suspicion. Stories such as preseason projections, mock drafts and power rankings are nothing more than clickbait. I have had this argument with many reporters, asking, "Why would you publish something that you know will be wrong?" The answer: "Because it's fun and readers/viewers eat up this sort of content."

So a couple of suggestions as the 2024 NFL season kicks off this Thursday with a great matchup between the Ravens and Chiefs in Kansas City.

First, don't pay too much attention to media predictions that are intended to prey on your emotions.

Second, enjoy the ride. The NFL season is finally here.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Last year when I watched football, I was like, ‘Why kick it at all?' I respect the fact that they are trying to bring back probably the most exciting play in all of football.”   Brian Mitchell, the NFL's career leader for kick return yards, on the new kickoff rules GEAR UP ​