Arizona Cardinals: Top 5 seasons since 1988
By Sion Fawkes
3 - Kurt Warner earns final career win in 2009 in a QB duel
Standing at 1-2 in their Week 4 bye, the 2009 Arizona Cardinals had ground to make up. And they did just that, going 9-4 the rest of the way and finishing the season 10-6.
Then came the duel against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. During the contest, Kurt Warner’s Cardinals took an early 17-0 lead, before the Packers made it 20-10 going into halftime. With Arizona up 34-24, Rodgers foreshadowed what has since made him one of the league’s most dangerous quarterbacks, outscoring Warner and the Cards 21-7 in the fourth.
It wasn’t enough, though, as Karlos Dansby scored a touchdown in overtime after recovering a fumble, leading the Cards back to the NFC Divisional playoffs. While the Cards started off hot the following week, they faced a 35-14 deficit going into halftime, and they couldn’t claw their way back.
2 - Cardinals enjoy best regular season since moving to the desert
The 2015 Arizona Cardinals were one of the NFL’s best teams in 2015, finishing the season 13-3 and they had one of the best offenses (30.5 points per game) and defenses (19.5 points per game allowed). This time, it was Carson Palmer edging out Aaron Rodgers, leading the Cards back to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in seven seasons.
Unfortunately for the Cards, the season would end similarly to how it ended in 2009, against the Carolina Panthers. By the end of the third quarter, Carolina led the Cards 34-7, before ultimately winning the game, 49-15, and punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.