J.J. Watt Calls Cardinals' Season a 'Massive Failure' After Playoff Loss to Rams

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt didn't mince words following Monday's 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round.

"It was a massive failure, from what we were capable of doing, to what we showed we can do, to today," he told reporters when describing the team's season. "There is no other way to describe it."

It appeared as if Watt's season came to an early end when he suffered a shoulder injury in an Oct. 24 victory over the Houston Texans, but he worked his way back and took the field for the playoff contest.

He finished with three total tackles and one tackle for loss as the Arizona defense struggled to contain Matthew Stafford and Co.

Stafford accounted for three touchdowns and was sacked just once, Odell Beckham Jr. caught a touchdown and completed a 40-yard pass on a trick play, Cooper Kupp found the end zone, and Cam Akers was a factor both in the running game and the aerial attack.

Watt was surely frustrated, as a Super Bowl ring is about the only thing missing from a resume that includes three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, five All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowl nods and a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

It's hard to argue with his assessment, though. Arizona looked like arguably the best team in the league when it was 7-0 and then 10-2 before a late collapse cost it the NFC West title and the conference's No. 1 seed and only first-round bye.

Instead, the Cardinals lost four of their last five games and ended up as the No. 5 seed and on the road for the first round in the playoffs.

That proved costly, and the one-time Super Bowl contenders saw their season end before the divisional round.