The Arizona Cardinals are just three years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, and perhaps just one piece away from getting back to the top of the NFC West. When the franchise mortgaged a big piece of their sports betting future to bring in quarterback Kevin Kolb, the Cardinals did so believing that he would make the difference in a potential playoff push. Just one year after winning the division, Arizona fell way out of the NFC playoff picture following the retirement of Kurt Warner. The team has entrusted Kolb with the keys to the future, and if he can live up to the lofty expectations that have been placed on him, then the Cardinals could be on their way back to the postseason.
Arizona isn’t the only NFL betting lines team that is relying on a breakthrough at quarterback, as the three other teams in the division are all in similar boats. The San Francisco 49ers will turn back to Alex Smith once again as Colin Kaepernick learns the offense as a rookie, while the Seattle Seahawks traded for Tarvaris Jackson after parting ways with Matt Hasselbeck. Neither of those two have established themselves as franchise starters, and the success of their respective teams is tied to how they perform. The St. Louis Rams are expecting that Sam Bradford will continue to develop in his second season in the league, and if he can make another steady improvement from last year, then he should be able to get the Rams in position to challenge for an NFC Wild Card spot.