It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Cardinals to compete in the NFC West, given the level of competition in the division. Being looped in with three teams that each won 12+ games and secured playoff victories on top of that is never easy.
Nearly half of the Cardinals' losses came against NFC West competition, as they went a combined 0–6 with a -67 point differential in games against the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.
All three of those teams got better, with the Rams headlining the offseason by giving up a total of three first-round picks and defensive end Jared Verse to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie (2 Firsts) from Kansas City, as well as Myles Garrett (1 First and Verse) from Cleveland.
The 49ers saw their wide receiver room improve by signing long-time Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans to a three-year, $60.4 million contract. They also managed to bring in Christian Kirk on a one-year deal, only adding to a receiving corps that already contains George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall.
Seattle also managed to keep key pieces around for the long-term, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Josh Jobe all saw themselves receive contract extensions.Â
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In a division where every team got better, the Cardinals got the short end of the stick, and it will definitely cost them in 2026.Â
It will be tough sledding for Arizona, but if they want any chance of competing for a playoff spot, they will need to prove that they can handle tough competition.
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