TEMPE — Lost season. That’s been the term used the most to describe the Arizona Cardinals’ 2025 campaign.
And even that might be putting it lightly.
The end of the year can’t come soon enough, as the Cardinals are currently on their second losing streak of at least five games and have given up at least 40 points in four of the past six.
It’s like that bad movie that was over hyped by your friends. Let’s just get to the end credits at this point.
And when that happens, change will be right there to greet the franchise like a post-credit scene everyone already knew about.
But until then, there are still three games to play. There is no throwing in the towel despite being among the first teams eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago.
There are still things to accomplish, beginning with this team finding its backbone again.
Even amid the Cardinals’ first five-game losing streak, the thought of Jonathan Gannon getting the ax was way in the back of the brain.
Seeing how the season has unfolded since, highlighted by a now 0-5 divisional mark and 40 points allowed in three of those defeats, that thinking has since taken up some prime real estate up in the frontal lobe.
It’s one thing to lose close games. It’s another to be out of games by halftime, which seems to be a common occurrence for Arizona more times than not during this recent stretch of bad.
If Gannon wants to instill any of the confidence that has been washed away by this epic downturn, it starts with Arizona being competitive again.
Show you can put up a fight against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 after the beatdown they put on you not that long ago.
That season finale suddenly got a lot more interesting with L.A.’s overtime loss to Seattle on Thursday. Hindering their postseason status that much more would be a win in Arizona’s book filled with 2025 losses.
Before that even happens, though, give the home crowd something to cheer about as opposed to the mountain of boos that has taken over State Farm Stadium for most of 2025. There’s only more chance to do so with the Atlanta Falcons coming to town this week.
Social media noise is loud, especially in Arizona this time of year. Wins are louder.
“Nobody is pleased. I am not happy. They are not happy,” Gannon said Monday. “At this point in the year and where we’re at, it’s tough. There’s definitely some adversity, a lot of adversity. We’ve had some tough games, some games we haven’t really been in (by the) second half. That stinks and it is hard, but we also know the way out of adversity.
“The silver lining of adversity is you grow. I think that you have to have the right attitude. You have to come to work. It’s a privilege to be doing what we’re doing and you have to put your best foot forward. We talked a little bit about it today.”
It’s not just on the Cardinals’ coaching staff
The coaching staff has gotten plenty of warranted criticism for the team’s lack of competitiveness and wins in 2025. It’s not all on them, though.
Outside of guys like tight end Trey McBride, offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. and pass rusher Josh Sweat, just about everyone on the team should be viewing these final three weeks as a job interview.
Want to keep the job you have? Prove it.
Think you deserve more of a workload this year and beyond? Prove it.
It’s not just on the Cardinals’ side of things, either. There are 31 other teams keeping tabs on how players elsewhere finish up the season.
Whether you’re a veteran or a rookie, taking snaps off or loafing around are non-negotiables.
And for first-round talents like Marvin Harrison Jr., Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen III, this final stretch can say a lot about where they’re headed.
Harrison has dealt with a heel issue that has kept him out the past two games — on top of appendicitis — but has again not lived up to the expectations in Year 2.
Sure, he bulked up ahead of his second season but could very well end up with career lows in 2025 as opposed to reaching new heights like many envisioned him doing.
Robinson, meanwhile, has gone as far as to say he’s not who he thought he was this season.
As for Nolen, it’s much more about staying healthy the rest of the way. The defensive lineman has been a problem for opposing offenses behind two sacks, five tackles for loss, four QB hits, two passes defensed and a fumble returned for a touchdown but has appeared in just five games.
Given the sample size, Nolen could have been in the discussion for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s been that good (when healthy).
The buck doesn’t stop at the trio of first-round talents, either.
Can Max Melton get healthy and reinsert himself as an every-game starter? Will Isaiah Adams and Jon Gaines II continue their recent success and help alleviate some depth concerns at OL?
For the players who are likely going to have a role in some way or another in Arizona next year, this final stretch is the last opportunity to show something ahead of free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.
