ST. LOUIS — Thirty-eight years ago, the last time the Arizona Cardinals were 4-0, their home was St. Louis and they were known affectionately as the Big Red.

Nearly 25 years since going to the desert, they’re on top of their game again.

The surprising Cardinals don’t have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Throw out the big plays on defense and they’re pretty much middle of the road there, too. Their games are going down to the wire, the last one ending in overtime and three of them decided by a total of nine points.

Not surprisingly, they’re just a 1-point favorite to beat the St. Louis Rams. On Thursday night, the Cardinals will have a shot at being the first team to 5-0, two wins shy of the 7-0 start in 1974 by a team that featured Hall of Famers Dan Dierdorf, Roger Wehrli, Larry Wilson and Jackie Smith.

One of the advantages to all the close calls is there’s no danger of overconfidence.