A year ago, the Cardinals were the toast of the NFL. Now they are a disaster.
After Monday night’s 38-10 loss to the 49ers, the Cardinals are 5-12 in their last 17 games. That’s an entire season in which Arizona was one of the worst teams in the league.
It’s hard to remember now, but the Cardinals started 7-0 last season, and as recently as Week 14 of 2021 they were the No. 1 team in many NFL power rankings. Many football fans and commentators expected the Cardinals to be in the Super Bowl last season.
And then they lost five of their last six games, including a 34-11 loss to the Rams in the wildcard round of the playoffs. It was clear to anyone who watched the Cardinals on the track last season that things were going in the wrong direction.
Surprisingly, the Cardinals’ owner responded to that collapse by doubling down, with contract extensions for coach Kliff Kingsbury, general manager Steve Keim and quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals made it clear with these contracts that they were all in.
And the result this year is a 4-7 record and a team that will almost certainly miss the playoffs. These contract extensions look like big mistakes. The cardinals collapse.
Collapsing Cardinals are 5-12 in their last 17 games originally published on Pro Football Talk