Super Bowl XLIX: Cardinals Need to Live Up to Arizona Claiming 2015 Super Bowl

On Tuesday it was announced that Arizona would be hosting Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.

Now the Cardinals need to live up to the honor.

The Cardinals missed out on the postseason for the first time in three years in 2010, finishing the season 5-11 after making it to the NFC divisional playoffs the year before.

A season later, the Cardinals now have former Philadelphia Eagles backup Kevin Kolb under center, but it hasn't exactly changed their fortunes as expected. Grouped in with the St. Louis Rams in the preseason as most experts' NFC West favorites, the Cardinals have been a disappointment, going 1-4 and just getting blasted by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 34-10.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been Kolb himself. Through five games, the highly-prized trade target in the offseason has completed under 60 percent of his passes and tossed five touchdowns to six interceptions despite having one of the best receivers in the NFL, Larry Fitzgerald.

And it's not like the running game has suffered dramatically since Tim Hightower's departure to the Washington Redskins. Beanie Wells has stepped in rather nicely, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and throwing in six touchdowns.

The Cardinals young secondary has also shown its inexperience throughout the season and the rush defense—despite giving up 3.9 yards per carry—has ceded eight rushing touchdowns, the most in the league.

This team's defense is going to be a work in progress all season long, but that was to be expected from the start. Kolb and the receiving corps need to start pulling their weight.

Right now, the Cardinals don't have a lot to be proud of, but there's still time to turn things around.

For their sake, let's hope it doesn't take until 2015 to do so.