This last three weeks has certainly been rough in The Valley to say the least, watching the Arizona Cardinals playoff hopes quickly slip away with consecutive losses.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Cardinals (6-7,2-2) went from fighting for first place in the NFC West to praying they don’t finish in last after dropping the second of two division meetings with the Seattle Seahawks (8-5,3-2) last Sunday.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw up two prayers himself in the first quarter of the game, and the Seahawks got blessed with interceptions. Murray had thrown two picks the week prior, contributing to the 23-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings (11-2,2-1). He’s thrown interceptions in every game along the three-loss stretch, recording five of his eight total picks this year at the most crucial point of the season.
THE VIKINGS SEAL THE COMEBACK VICTORY WITH THE KYLER MURRAY INTERCEPTION! ????
Minnesota is now 10-2 on the season????
✅ MIN -175
✅ U 45.5(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/TdgmYhWbYK
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) December 1, 2024
For the offense to get going, it obviously starts with their quarterback. But there are 10 other men on that field, and they aren’t exactly helping.
Cardinals running back James Conner finally came back to life against the Seahawks, breaking a three-game stretch of being stalled. Conner did all he could against Seattle, rushing for 90 yards on 18 carries, and adding 32 receiving yards from four receptions, one that went for a touchdown. Unfortunately, Murray’s interceptions put them in too much of a hole for Conner to help them climb out of.
JC is really like that ???? pic.twitter.com/jUSJV91PNH
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 8, 2024
That has absolutely nothing to do with his performances in the weeks prior.
Conner averaged 36.3 yards per carry in the three games leading up to the Seahawks loss. He rushed for as little as eight yards during that time period in the first loss to the Seahawks.
The defense isn’t absolved from responsibility either.
Arizona’s defense has allowed 23 points per game over the course of the losing streak. They only let up 14.3 points per game in the four consecutive wins that proceeded.
Murray’s interceptions definitely put the Arizona’s defense in a tough spot, but they could’ve thrown him a bone in one of the losses to repay the favor from the 28-27 comeback victory over the Miami Dolphins. Murray threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns on an efficient 26-36 completions (72.2%).
It’s not like the defense is at a lost. Cardinals safety Budda Baker just set a new franchise record in last weekend’s contest with 18 tackles. But do you really want your last line of defense with that many tackles?
All of that to say: Grow up and stop pointing the finger. It’s everybody. The loss last week even sent Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon back to the drawing board to revive the season.
And that’s the kicker — there is still enough season left to revive.
Things got bad, but there are four games left, and a spotless record mixed with some wishful losses from division opponents could put the Cardinals in the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The NFC West hosts the most competitive race to the playoffs, as the top three teams have only one game of separation between them. The Los Angeles Rams (8-6,3-1) jumped the Cardinals for second place with a win over the San Francisco 49ers (6-8,1-4), who sit at an untraditionally last place in the division.
That is the slogan for the NFC West race: “Just one game.”
The top three teams can rise to top or fall to the bottom with just one loss. So what will the Cardinals do with four games remaining?
Hopefully, they’ll win.
Arizona plays two (should be) guaranteed wins the next two weeks, taking on the New England Patriots (3-10,1-3) and the Carolina Panthers (3-10,1-3) respectively. If the Cardinals can’t beat two of the worst teams in the NFL, throw the season away — they didn’t deserve the playoffs anyway.
If they can win those matchups, however, it will leave them with their final two division matches of the season with Rams and 49ers.
Arizona beat both teams already this season. It’s not easy beating a team twice, but with the opportunity to refine and re-find their identity, the Cardinals could go on a miraculous push, giving them the opportunity to play in the playoffs.
The Cardinals have had their winged clipped and the air taken out from underneath them the last couple weeks, but now it’s time to fly.
There is no time to waste anymore — Arizona need to fix it, NOW. Murray needs to protect the ball; Conner needs to be a more consistent threat; and the defense needs to slow down offenses.
Above all things, the Cardinals need to win. Sounds simple enough, right?
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
