With an 11-2 record and seven-game winning streak, the Arizona Cardinals are having their best regular season in franchise history.
And while the Cards remain one of just 10 NFL teams to have never won the Super Bowl, fans are optimistic that their team's time has finally arrived.
"I think we've got a lot of really good guys, but I think (quarterback Carson) Palmer's holding them all together. I think we're going all the way," said Cards superfan Richard Rader II, who had his face painted in Cards red alongside his son, Richard Rader III, for Thursday's home game against the Vikings.
"First off, we have Carson Palmer for the whole season. He's been playing the best football of his career so far," Rader III said. "We have a decent running game with Andre Ellington and David Johnson. (Johnson) showed that he's a strong running back that we need, that he can just plow through defenders."
Most Cards fans point to a healthy Palmer as the key to winning it all. Palmer is having an MVP-caliber year after missing the second half of the 2014 season with an ACL tear.
"It's much different from last year when we had a few injuries and whatnot," Cards fan Tony Odell said. "It slowed us down a bit, but we're doing big things this year. We're going all the way."
Rader III noted the strength of the Cards' defense -- in particular, safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was the NFC's Defensive Player of the Month in November.
"He can just play any position," Rader III said. "He's a legitimate contender for Defensive Player of the Year."
Renee Odell said it's a combination of Palmer and the Cardinals' "No-Fly Zone" secondary that has led the way.
"We have Carson Palmer, who's healthy. We have all our players on defense who can stop everybody," she said.
Cards fan Gilbert Contreras agreed that Palmer's health is the most important factor for the Cardinals in potentially bringing home their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
"If we protect Carson, he takes us to the promised land," he said.
"We're gonna take it all the way. We're not gonna come up short this time. Carson's healthy. As long as he stays healthy, we don't come up short."
