Are Cardinals now the best team in the NFL? Maybe, just maybe

Every team suffers a major blow (or more) at some point; it’s how they respond, right?

So when the Arizona Cardinals lost Tyrann Mathieu, perhaps their most irreplaceable defensive player, many wondered what this team would do against the Green Bay Packers.

We have our answer. Through one game, the results are acceptable.

The Cardinals stomped the Packers, 38-8, turning in their most dominant defensive perfomance of the season. How dominant? They allowed 178 yards (2.8 per play), sacked Packers QBs nine times (including one that should have been a safety), and forced four turnovers (two of which were returned for touchdowns).

And it’s not like the offense slumped. Carson Palmer, overlooked in the MVP discussion, turned in another impressive and highly efficient performance. Rookie running back David Johnson is making a case for being one of the most dangerous players on a touch-by-touch basis this season. The Cardinals have several pass catchers who can beat you; seven caught passes in the win, including future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, in the midst of one of his finest seasons.

With the Carolina Panthers losing, and few other teams establishing themselves as worthy of wlite status, who else are you putting in the discussion? The Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, the two supposedly most dangerous teams in each respective conference, lost to teams with losing records on Sunday ith plenty at stake. The New England Patriots might be the team to beat until further notice, but they too lost and are are almost at the point of pulling offensive linemen off the street and minting them as starters.

The Cardinals are not a perfect team, but there’s nothing close to one in this NFL this season. They have the right mix of vets and young guys. They have a coach in Bruce Arians who will bleed for his team and who is fearless in letting them win games for him. They have a great quarterback, good skill guys on offense, good special teams and a great defense. What else do you want?

The Panthers’ loss also opened the door for the Cardinals possibly earning the top overall seed in the NFC. If not, no big deal — they are 7-1 on the road with five of the wins by double digits. Even if they have to go to Carolina, this Cardinals team will be far different than the Palmer-less one that was swept on out of Bank of America stadium without a chance to win a year ago.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm