Five Greatest Seasons in Arizona Cardinals History
By Jeremy Meek
5. The 1998 Cardinals team came out of nowhere to make the playoffs
From the late 1970’s, through the 80’s, and into the late 90’s, the Cardinals were an afterthought. They only finished over .500 three times during that 21 year span, and only made the playoffs once, during a strike shortened season. In 15 of those years, they finished in either last, or next to last, place in their division. It was not an enjoyable time to be a fan.
Then, in 1998, something crazy happened, and energized the franchise’s supporters. After an 0-2 start, the team began to gain momentum. They closed out the year winning their last three games, which propelled them into the playoffs. Once there, they even won a playoff game, beating the Dallas Cowboys.
On the field, this team wasn’t great, but they seemed to have some magic. Seven of their nine wins were by three points or less, six of them were won with go ahead scores late in games. The team wasn’t particularly good on defense, and only average on offense, but they were determined to win games, and that was enough.