The 2023 NFL season is in the books for the Cardinals, and as one can reasonably say it had more tough times than good. However, over the last five weeks promise emerged. Wins at the Pittsburgh Steelers and against the Eagles in Philadelphia show a team that may have found the light switch and turned it on. If not for an errant field goal attempt at the end of the Seahawks game in Glendale, optimism would be off the Richter scale. Yet all seems good even in a loss. Here are the top five games for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Top Five Games for the Arizona Cardinals
5. Week 10 – Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals
The first game back for quarterback Kyler Murray was one Cardinals fans, the Cardinals organization, and Murray had circled on the calendar. Optimism ran high as Arizona brought a 1-8 record against the Falcons. All eyes in the desert wanted to see how Murray would bounce back from an ACL injury suffered 11 months earlier.
For 355 days, the Cardinals had waited for his return. The rust was minimal for Murray as he would throw for 249 yards on 19 of 32 attempts. He had one interception while also running for a touchdown. After nine games, it was clear Arizona was a different team, winning 25-23.
4. Week 2, – New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals
Week 2 proved a mirage as quarterback Josh Dobbs, a castoff of many teams, led Arizona to a huge lead. As both the Giants and Cardinals went to the locker room, Arizona had sprinted out to a 20-point lead.
It wouldn’t last. For his part, Dobbs had a good game. He passed for 228 yards and one touchdown. His line rounded out to 21 completions on 31 attempts.
New York would go on a run of their own in the second half with Graham Gano kicking the game-winner. The Giants would beat Arizona 31-28 with Gano’s field goal and only 19 seconds left in regulation.
That’s the seventh fourth-quarter comeback of Daniel Jones’ career. He overcame an 18-point deficit in his first ever start. He and the #Giants erased a 21-point #AZCardinals lead today, though the win comes with an injury to Saquon Barkley on a short week.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 17, 2023
Slow Progress
3. Week -13 – Arizona Cardinals at the Pittsburgh Steelers
In a series of rain delays, the Steelers and Cardinals would play a football game that you would think favored the Steelers. It didn’t, and to date in the 2023 season, Arizona looked to be putting it all together.
Pittsburgh alum James Conner had a monster day, rushing for 105 yards on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns. Defensively, the Cardinals did not allow the Steelers to find any rhythm or momentum. Arizona had their best game to date, and the final score reflected that, as the Cardinals would win 24-10.
2. Week 18 – Seattle Seahawks at the Arizona Cardinals
After eight interesting weeks of Cardinals football, Arizona played a game that made you wish there was another month in the season. They were crisp and executed well on both sides of the ball. For the first time in 17 weeks, the Cardinals looked like a team that could compete for wins and not moral victories.
Murray was sound in his play. He threw for one touchdown on the way to 22 of 30 for 262 yards. But he wasn’t what everyone was talking about on the Cardinals offense. Conner again found his spots and exploited them. He had 27 carries for 150 yards and one touchdown. Stanford rookie Michael Wilson kicked in with six catches for 95 yards. Tight end Trey McBride would also find the endzone on three receptions for 34 yards.
"My best years are coming"
🎥 James Conner addressed the media following today’s season finale. pic.twitter.com/Xj90VQ20J9
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 8, 2024
Seattle would take the lead late, leaving enough time for the Cardinals to find a score. However, kicker Matt Prater, who had been as automatic as they come, missed a 51-yard try as the clock went to zero.
Short of a win, the Cardinals scored the moral victory of victories. It was a hard-luck loss but showed progress is happening.
The Arizona Cardinals Season Comes Full Circle
1. Week 17 – Arizona Cardinals at the Philadelphia Eagles
It’s hard to imagine a bigger win than the one at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles, perhaps the best team in football before the losses began to expose a team showing cracks. Even the most die-hard Cardinals fans had to shudder a bit at that roadie when the calendar rolled to New Year’s Eve. For Eagles fans, it was the game for this contender to “get right”.
Murray had his best game of the season. Three touchdown throws overshadow his one interception. He racked up 232 yards on 25 of 31. Running back James Conner would rush for 128 yards on 26 carries, scoring one touchdown. For Jonathan Gannon, the homecoming was not expected. If Arizona had lost close, the “moral victory” would have been the talk of a plane ride home and Monday Morning Quarterbacks.
in case y'all forgot, here are our top plays from Sunday 😉 pic.twitter.com/ABSSXMKVAV
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 2, 2024
Instead, the Cardinals did the unthinkable. Arizona would handle Philadelphia, and win 35-3. The win came at the right time for a team looking for any form of validation of a team on the way back up. For fans in the Desert Southwest, Kyler Murray got up off the map as early talk had him on the move in 2024.
The Arizona Cardinals let two games get away this past season. The losses to the Giants and Seahawks could have had a dramatic impact on the final standings. But in the grand scheme of things, 4-13 looks pretty good as 2024 looks as promising as ever.
Main Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK
