Last season, the Houston Texans went from a 3-13-1 team the previous season to winning the NFC South division and winning a wild-card round game against the Cleveland Browns.
Houston proved that a single season can change the entire trajectory of a franchise, which made them the NFL's biggest surprise team of the year.
Where will that team be this season?
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Arizona Cardinals player Kelvin Beacham, No. 68, watches the first half of a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca on Nov. 21, 2022 in Mexico City. (Sean M. Hafey/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals, who finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record, could be one of the teams that turns the tide this season.
Unlike last year, quarterback Kyler Murray will be healthy to start the season and the offense will have a lineup of young, explosive weapons, including first-round draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. The front office also revamped a number of defensive positions to bolster defensive depth for what is always going to be a tough schedule in the NFC West.
Veteran Cardinals lineman Kelvin Beacham is in his 13th season in the NFL and fifth with Arizona, but he knows his teammates have the talent to make a playoff run this season.
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But Beacham isn't necessarily aiming to be the surprise team, given that the Cardinals don't appear to be in the playoff picture going into the new year.
But he knows the questions the team must answer to achieve its goal of reaching the postseason and competing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
“There are a lot of different factors that go into being a playoff team,” Beacham said, explaining the impact he's having. World Visiona humanitarian, development and advocacy organization. “There's a lot of factors that come into play, being healthy, limiting turnovers, but more than anything, I think we've put ourselves in a better position than we were last year from a roster standpoint and understanding our offense better.”
“Now the question is, can we execute? Can we execute under pressure and in those moments in the game when it really matters? Can we erase these self-inflicted wounds?”
That last question is the one Beacham focuses on most because unforced errors hurt any team, regardless of the sport.
Arizona Cardinals player Kelvin Beacham, wearing No. 68, leaves the field during halftime of a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Justin Castaline/Getty Images)
Now, the Cardinals only allowed the ball 18 times last season (12 interceptions, six lost fumbles) and committed 17 turnovers (11 interceptions, six fumble recoveries) for a turnover differential of minus-1. But self-destructive damage can be anything from a botched block that forces the quarterback to throw the ball away, to a broken pass or a breakdown in defensive coverage.
“We had a lot of those last year,” Beacham said of unforced errors. “How do you limit them in one of the most important moments of the game and still win the game?”
“In the NFL, any Sunday is really any Sunday. Anybody can go out there and find a way to win. Some days you're going to lose, some days you're going to lose. The key is you've got to find a way to win rather than lose. That's it.”
Of course, becoming a playoff-caliber team in the NFL is easier said than done, especially with Arizona having to face the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks twice during the season before deciding on the remaining opponents.
But Beacham sees Murray being more comfortable playing center as he is in his second year in a new system and mastering the offense, and he saw the work that was done on both the defensive and defensive end in training camp and knows the team has the right pieces in place with head coach Jonathan Gannon to lead the team on game day.
Arizona Cardinals player Kelvin Beacham, wearing number 68, leaves the field during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Rick Tapia/Getty Images)
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Plus, as anything a new season brings, hope has been restored with Week 1 approaching and a 0-0 record. With the schedule written out each week, doing everything they can to win is the only thing on Beacham and their teammates’ minds.
“First of all, we have to put ourselves in a position to do well at home,” the coach said. “We have to win our home games, get a couple of wins on the road, get a couple of wins in division games on the road and put ourselves in a position to make a playoff run.”
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