The Arizona Cardinals: A 12-4 Team?

There’s no doubt that the Arizona Cardinals had a rough start to their season; however, they were able to bounce back and finish second in their division with an 8-8 record. In the process, they were able to knock off teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

Looking back on the season, Arizona ended up just two games back from making the playoffs behind the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. That stat hurts for some Cardinals fans, as they were a part of many close games early on in the year and were a few plays away from being 12-4.

Now, most people are probably of the mindset that “Arizona” and “12-4” should not be in the same sentence, but after reading this article, you’ll get a feel at how close this team really was.

Week 2 at Washington

Following a Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers, the Cards traveled to Washington to take on the Redskins. Arizona held a 21-13 lead in the fourth quarter before giving up a TD to Santana Moss on a fourth-down play that could have all but clinched the game.

The Redskins missed the two point conversion and trailed by two points when they got the ball back, going on to kick a field goal to take a 22-21 lead.

With just over two minutes on the clock, the Cardinals organization viewed this as an opportunity to see what newly-acquired quarterback Kevin Kolb could do with the game on the line.

Kolb, however, was not given an opportunity, as wide receiver Chansi Stuckey picked up a first down and then fumbled, as the Redskins ran out the clock to take the game.

Week 3 at Seattle

Arizona’s first divisional game of the year was in Seattle against the Seahawks. Their offense struggled and definitely missed RB Beanie Wells, who sat out with a knee injury.

The trend of not being able to finish in the red zone started in this game, as they settled for three field-goal attempts.

Two of those field goals were missed by normally reliable kicker Jay Feely. Those misses hurt, as Arizona went on to lose the game by three, 13-10.

Had those been converted and the defense made a stop in the previous game, Arizona would have been sitting atop the league at 3-0 with team morale through the roof. Instead, they had a 1-2 record with a couple tough games on the way.

Week 4 vs New York

Arizona returned home to take on the Giants in week 4 with a rested Beanie Wells. What this man does was he’s healthy is flat out scary—scary as in 140 yards and three touchdowns. With the effort, Arizona had a 20-10 lead at the end of the third quarter and a 27-17 lead during the fourth.

That was until Eli drove down the field, scoring to make it a three-point game. With little time to go, the Giants had the ball on Arizona’s side of the field when the defense recovered a fumble.

This would have ultimately sealed the game; however, it was ruled that the receiver did not fumble. Instead, he “gave himself up." The Giants scored on the next play to win, 31-27.

Week 8 at Baltimore

The Cardinals held a 21-point lead at one point in this one, including a 24-6 lead at halftime.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb sustained an injury in the first half of the contest, but stayed in the game only to have the offense score a measly three points in the second half, while the defense gave up 24.

The comeback was the largest in Ravens history, as Arizona fell to 1-6 on the season instead of being at 5-2.

Had the Ravens lost this game, then the Steelers would have had a bye in the playoffs, with Baltimore falling to the No. 5 seed.

In Summary

Another game that could be added on to this list was Week 16 at Cincinnati, where wide receiver Early Doucet tripped in the endzone while the ball was being thrown to him. This would have tied the game and most likely sent it into overtime.

Arizona was so close, but yet so far from being a 12-4, maybe even a 13-3, team. So when Cardinals fans say that they are playoff-bound next year, it’s not just a homer statement.