Arizona Cardinals eliminated from NFC West contention
By Sion Fawkes
Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy just became even more relevant on Sunday, as his 49ers officially eliminated the Arizona Cardinals from NFC West contention.
Brock Purdy’s legend is growing in the City by the Bay, and if he keeps this up, the San Francisco 49ers may have a quarterback controversy on their hands. Meanwhile, in the desert, the Arizona Cardinals arch rival’s 35-7 victory over Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers severely diminished the Redbirds playoff chances.
The Cardinals can now only enter the playoffs as a wildcard and will need to snake through the postseason on the road if they are lucky enough to play football in mid-January. As it stands, this won’t happen, considering their 4-8 record. But this also isn’t necessarily bad news for the Cardinals, given their recent success on the road.
Arizona Cardinals won’t win the NFC West for the seventh straight season
Throughout their history, stagnation and sheer irrelevancy have defined the Arizona Cardinals. During their days in Chicago, the franchise saw just two division championships (1947 and 1948). The St. Louis Cardinals era didn’t fare much better, as their lone NFC East Championships occurred in 1974 and 1975. That’s just two division championships over their 32 seasons (1970-2001) in the East.
In 2008, the Cardinals ended their 33-season drought by securing their first NFC West Championship. Coincidentally, they made their first and to date, only Super Bowl appearance that year, where they nearly upset the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Cardinals won the division again in 2009, before embarking on a five-season drought until they won their final NFC West Championship to date in 2015. It was also the last year the Cardinals went on a deep playoff run.
Will Kliff, Kyler Murray, and Keim be Cardinals in 2023?. light. Trending
As mentioned, the Cardinals have recently been more successful on the road. In 2022, three of their four wins have come on the road, where they sit at 3-2 on the season. At home, they are 1-5, and 1-6 if you count the game in Mexico City. So perhaps, if the Cardinals somehow punch a ticket into the postseason, going in as a wildcard team isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
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