TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals could seriously use a win, especially this week in their final home game of the year.
Losers of the past six and struggling to even stay competitive throughout most of those Ls, Arizona’s current regime needs something to hang their hat on before the sands of the regular-season hourglass run out and change takes hold this offseason.
Does that start with head coach Jonathan Gannon? These next three weeks could seriously play a role in that thinking.
If a win is going to pop up between now and the end of the year, it’s most likely coming Sunday against a 5-9 Atlanta Falcons team that had lost seven of their past eight games before knocking off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.
Getting the better of Atlanta is possible — even if Arizona is currently viewed as three-point underdogs at home. The Falcons also have star running back Bijan Robinson and an offensive schemes with plenty of complex looks to contend with.
A victory won’t come without an added cost, though.
Thanks to a draft-day trade last season, the Falcons, who currently sit 10th in the 2026 NFL Draft pecking order, don’t own their first-round pick.
Instead, it belongs to the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams, a team that kicked the can down the road on last draft’s 26th and 101st overall picks to land next year’s haul (plus some 2025 draft capital).
The Rams’ gamble has paid off so far in 2025.
That’s bad news for the Cardinals (and everyone else in the division) before even looking at what a win could do to Arizona’s first-round status this upcoming draft.
ESPN’s FPI as of Thursday gives Arizona, which currently owns the No. 6 overall pick in the coming draft, a 98.6% chance to stay in the top 10. Win or lose, that percentage shouldn’t change a ton.
That 38.8% chance to land a top-five pick? Those odds could take a serious hit if the Cardinals get the W in Glendale this week.
Looking around the league, a lot of the teams jostling for position in the top 10 take on teams vying for a postseason spot.
That includes the Washington Commanders (4-10), Cleveland Browns (3-11), Tennessee Titans (2-12), Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) and New York Giants (2-12). Only the Commanders at No. 8 overall currently sit lower on the draft board than the Cardinals.
Meanwhile, two teams that currently sandwich the Cardinals in first round, the New York Jets (3-11) and New Orleans Saints (4-10), face off against each other. One of the two is going to hurt their draft stock with a win this week. Unless a tie rears it ugly head.
Whichever side you fall on — whether that’s praying for a win to help ease some tension around the franchise or wanting Arizona to lose out the rest of the way to improve their draft stock — this is a prime case-study moment.
