It may still be somewhat early in 2025, but it feels as if the Arizona Cardinals‘ season might already be doomed. A truly revolting, inexcusable double-digit blown lead on Sunday led to a 22-21 loss to the lowly Tennessee Titans, once again ruining the afternoons of the State Farm Stadium home crowd.
It’s difficult to point fingers at any one individual. It was a group effort in yet another failing-grade project. The preseason playoff expectations are now the furthest thing from focus. Instead, the question becomes: are the Cardinals capable of not beating themselves, week in and week out?
If the answer is no, then changes must be made swiftly. But that may be easier said than done — because it’s only getting tougher from here.
Cardinals Beat Themselves
The offensive momentum from the final quarter of the loss to Seattle seemed to be carrying over in the first half, until it fell back to a familiarly dismal state. The Cardinals were shut out offensively in the second half after scoring 21 points in the first two quarters, and it’s not as if they weren’t in position to put up more points.
A potential 70-plus-yard score by Emari Demercado likely wins Sunday’s game, but Demercado dropped the ball short of the goal line. A brilliant interception by Dadrion Taylor-Demerson probably does the same, but he also coughed up the ball. A promising drive late in the third quarter might have iced the game, too, but Kyler Murray was unprepared for a snap.
And yet, when all those mistakes were passed, Arizona still had the ball with the lead. And, in what might have been the most predictable outcome of the season, they ran the ball unsuccessfully three times in their own territory, begging their defense to pull off yet another miracle.
It’s as if the Cardinals are being tested every week. The exam questions are the same, yet no matter what, Arizona can’t seem to pass. There’s execution to blame, coaching to blame, and some level of bad luck.
It’s extremely hard to imagine any amount of good luck getting the Cardinals to the playoffs this season. They may not even be close to a .500 team if the status quo continues.
But how much can even be changed for the better, at this stage?
Where Do Cardinals Go from Here?
Successful franchises have recovered from poorer starts than 2-3. It’s not the record itself that’s the issue. Perhaps something flips, and Arizona rattles off some wins — it’s happened before.
But let’s examine the upcoming schedule. Next up are the red-hot Colts, then the Super Bowl-contending Packers and high-octane Cowboys, before another back-to-back NFC West slate. Do the Cardinals feel like a safe bet to win any of those games?
Arizona didn’t need to go 5-0 through the easier portion of their schedule, but they probably needed to come out of their first five games with a winning record. A 10-win season is not enough to make the postseason in this brutal division, barring some type of collapse by all three rivals.
The Cardinals have displayed a losing mentality on the field all season, even in their two wins. They’ve played conservatively, timidly and sloppily in every facet of the game. It’s ironic (given head coach Jonathan Gannon’s obsession with carrying a winning mentality) that there’s simply no sense of urgency, and fundamentals have completely exited after Sunday’s fiasco.
Arizona is at an ugly crossroads. Rebounding from the worst loss in recent memory with wins (multiple) against upcoming playoff teams can, in fact, restore faith in this team. Reactionary takes aside, that is the way Arizona can save their season, and it isn’t too late to do so.
But if some sort of epiphany — some realization of previously-unearthed potential — was lying dormant, shouldn’t that have arisen after the San Francisco loss? The Seattle loss? How much embarrassment must be suffered for something to change?
It’s not that there isn’t talent on the roster, and clearly the team respects Gannon, but there’s no energy, no risk-taking mindset, and no previously-preached “fire in the gut” of this team on a weekly basis.
Yes, poorly-executed plays fall on the players themselves. Murray, Demercado and Taylor-Demerson have sole ownership of the mistakes that lost Sunday’s game. But well-coached teams do not make those types of mistakes regularly and in the most crucial possible moments.
So what can Arizona do — make coaching changes? Personnel changes? That was the entire goal of the rebuild that began in 2023, and yet they feel like a worse team than previous seasons, despite only adding to their talent level.
The goodwill extended toward Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort has departed quickly, if it isn’t already entirely evaporated. Whatever has been done in practice hasn’t worked, and whatever scheme in place isn’t working, either.
The mistakes are on the players, but mistakes can be overcome. The Cardinals have not overcome their mistakes. They simply have to raise their margin of error — and that can only be done by establishing a higher level of consistency.
Arizona has taken every offseason question, and, instead of answering them, made them louder. This type of play is not sustainable. If the Cardinals aren’t careful, they may crash their way into yet another agonizing rebuild sooner than later — and thus restarting the mind-numbing cycle.
