The Arizona Cardinals' defense was fried by the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals offense on Sunday, as Joe Burrow and company ran away with a 37–14 victory at home.
The score is just one thing, but Arizona was dominated in total yards, time of possession, and third-down conversions. However, one stat that has carried over across the entirety of the season should have not only Cardinals fans, but the coaching staff and players in shambles. Even more so than what the final score shows.
According to Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic, the Cardinals are the only team whose offense has not eclipsed 28 points in a game, while their defense has also allowed 40 points in a game on four separate occasions, which is the most in the league. This is an utter disappointment from head coach Jonathan Gannon, whose job may be in limbo.
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The Cardinals have also joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cleveland Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Boston Yanks (pre-Super Bowl Era), 1966 Houston Oilers, and 2013 Houston Texans (post-Super Bowl Era) as the only teams to start the season 2–0 and finish with less than four wins in a season (minimum of 10 games). This is complete embarrassment, considering that six of these teams saw these seasons before World War II.
Given the Cardinals have seen a plethora of injuries on both sides of the ball, with names such as Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr., Walter Nolen III, and Budda Baker headlining the injury report. Not to mention that the team is on their fourth and fifth string running backs, as James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight all suffered season-ending injuries.
The Cardinals were flat-out destroyed on both sides of the ball, as Joe Burrow completed 24-of-31 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Now, couple that with the performance of Chase Brown and Ja’Marr Chase, who combined for 201 total yards and four touchdowns on the day.
After finishing at a promising 8–9 the year before, then relapsing to a three-win team a year later, there is only so much leeway that Gannon has when it comes to his future with the team.
The Cardinals wrap up their 2025 season with a road trip west to Los Angeles, where they will take on the Rams. L.A. was eliminated from contention for the No. 1 seed after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 42–38. They will still be contending for that top wild-card spot, and can clinch it with a win against Arizona.
It is safe to say that Sunday will be a difficult one for Gannon’s squad, especially since the Rams already beat the Cardinals 45–17 this year.