Arizona Cardinals football is officially back.
The Cardinals are heading into a massive week two battle against the Seattle Seahawks sporting a 2-0 record.
Not only is Arizona impressing the outside NFL world, head coach Mike LaFleur is impressing individuals with real influence early into his tenure.
Read more about the strides that the first-year coach is making with week two on the horizon below.
Cardinals’ Coaching Impressing Early in Season
ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler both believe that LaFleur is the biggest surprise of week one among new coaches.
Fowler did note that the Cardinals started last season 2-0 before taking a nosedive. This places everything in perspective that the finish is more crucial than the start. However, Fowler also notes that LaFleur is doing a phenomenal job of selling himself as a coach, while also yielding stronger game operations for the Cardinals.
While Arizona did commit eight penalties, the blocking was generally clean, the run game operated in a sound manner, and QB Jacoby Brissett did a great job at managing the game. This speaks volumes about how impressive LaFleur’s debut as a head coach is.
There is a great deal of distance to go before firm conclusions can take shape, but the Cardinals seem to be in good hands.
Arizona is Pushing to Compete in Challenging Division
The Cardinals are perfect example of the adage “no rest for the weary.”
Arizona’s week two game against Seattle will come against backup QB Drew Lock, but a win will not come easy. Seattle is still a top five defensive unit that created three Drake Maye turnovers in week one.
After this, the Cardinals travel to take on Kyle Shanahan and the San Fransisco 49ers. This will be a war of attrition between LaFleur and Shanahan, who is established as one of the premier coaches in the NFL.
Weeks 4-7 will not provide any breaks for LaFleur, either. The week four game against the New York Giants comes against Super Bowl victor John Harbaugh, who is employing a battle-tested staff that is coming off an impressive week one performance.
Week five pits LaFleur against the Detroit Lions‘ Dan Campbell. The latter is one of the best motivators in the entire league, although former Cardinals OC Drew Petzing being in the fold perhaps gifts LaFleur a play-calling advantage.
Week six against the Los Angeles Rams brings Sean McVay into the fray. McVay is a Super Bowl champion himself and is widely seen as the best coach in the NFL. However, LaFleur also is in the know when it comes to McVay’s tendencies – coming from his coaching tree.
Lastly, LaFleur meets his match in Sean Payton in a week seven against the Denver Broncos. Payton is yet another champion who is one of the best game managers in the NFL, despite no longer calling plays.
The next five weeks will go a great distance towards showing LaFleur’s overall promise as the Cardinals’ lead man.
Analysts Call Mike LaFleur’s Cardinals Debut the NFL’s Most Surprising