Bottom 5 worst seasons in Arizona Cardinals history
By Sion Fawkes
Many claim 2023 will be one of the worst seasons in Arizona Cardinals (1988-present) history. But will they come close to the incumbents?
Things are not looking good for the Arizona Cardinals in 2023. Most recently, we’ve witnessed a plethora of allegations come against owner Michael Bidwill, and this came after the Cards were seen to have had some of the worst facilities and treatment of players and their families in the NFL.
Oh, then there are the fanbase polarizing moves the front office has made during free agency. Therefore, it’s safe to say 2023 could easily wind up on a list of the worst seasons the team experienced since moving to the desert.
But with five months before the regular season opener, when were the worst campaigns for this franchise since they made the desert their home? Keep reading and you will find out.
Worst seasons in Arizona Cardinals history since 1988
1 - 2000: Dave McGinnis? Really?
In 2000, the NFL saw a changing of the guard to an extent. The Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s was long-since in the rearview mirror, and the second member of the Triplets was singing his swan song. But Dallas wasn’t the worst team in the division that year, thanks to a completely inept Arizona Cardinals team.
Want to know how many points this team put up? Yep, 210, or 13.1 per game, which even in 2000, was pretty bad. After a 2-5 start that only included wins against the lowly Cowboys and equally-inept Cleveland Browns, the Cards won just one more game, a 16-15 win over Washington.
And somehow, after finishing 1-8 in his nine-game audition, Dave McGinnis got the job for 2001. Not having fun yet? Here’s a statistic for you: Arizona never scored over 16 points in a game between Weeks 7 and 17.