In the NFL, owners and fans can only tolerate a rebuild for so long. Eventually, the rebuild has to turn into results.
After two seasons of rebuilding under the current regime, the Arizona Cardinals are hitting that point. In 2025, fans are expecting a playoff appearance — at minimum.
The Arizona Cardinals face sky-high expectations this season
The Arizona Cardinals haven't made the playoffs since 2021. They haven't won a playoff game since 2015, when Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer led the team all the way to the NFC Championship. This franchise and its fans have been starved of success for nearly a decade, doomed to reside near the bottom of league standings year after year. Draft order, rather than playoff seeding, has become the focus of fans each winter.
But things are changing in Arizona. When general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon took over in 2023, the franchise was in a dire state. Since then, they have built a roster capable of making real noise in the NFC. As we near the start of the 2025 season, there is a different level of expectation surrounding the team than there has been in past years.
In past seasons, making the postseason has felt like a distant dream. Now, it's the standard.
The Cardinals are set up to be competent on both offense and defense in 2025. The team has already been solidly above average on offense. The offense finished 10th in the NFL in EPA per play in 2024. They were in the top 12 in both yards per game and points per game. With nearly the same starting lineup in 2025, fans can expect similar production.
It's the Cardinals' defense that has seen the biggest shift. In 2024, the unit finished 26th in EPA per play. They struggled to get stops on defense due to the severe talent deficit they faced against nearly every opponent.
This offseason, the Cardinals' defense has been completely rebuilt. Through free agency, the team added quality veteran starters like Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, and Dalvin Tomlinson. They continued to improve through the draft, using six of their seven picks on defensive players. Rookies like Walter Nolen and Will Johnson should make an immediate impact. Arizona's defense is now talented enough to finish in the top half of the NFL, at the very least.
A top-ten offense and a potential top-ten defense should be more than enough to drive the Cardinals into the postseason.
There are no more excuses now. If the Arizona Cardinals fail to reach the playoffs again, owner Michael Bidwill will have some difficult decisions to make.