The Arizona Cardinals (3-13) had the semblance of a fighting team early on Sunday at Cincinnati but were largely outplayed and outcoached by the Bengals (6-10) in a 37-14 loss.

Not even Trey McBride setting both franchise and league records (again) or 39-year-old Calais Campbell upping his season sack total to 6.5 could put a bright spin on another lopsided game.

The four quarters were dominantly won via time of possession and red zone efficiency, as the Bengals had the ball for over 40 minutes and were a perfect 5 for 5 when inside the Arizona 20-yard line.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett had only six completions through the Cardinals’ first seven possessions before finishing the game with 212 yards on 21 for 37 passing and two touchdowns to zero interceptions. He was sacked four times, matching his total from each of the previous two games combined.

Michael Wilson played like Arizona’s No. 1 wide receiver even with Marvin Harrison Jr. active to the tune of five catches for 89 yards, including a tightrope catch-and-run touchdown in the first half. Harrison, on the other hand, had zero catches on just one target.

For the only positive, as it concerns the franchise’s future, you have to look at the other side of Ohio in Cleveland.

With the Cleveland Browns (4-12) defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cardinals moved up to No. 5 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft pecking order.

Arizona Sports show hosts react to the Cardinals’ eighth consecutive loss and ineffectiveness against one of the NFL’s worst defensive units.

Rapid reactions: Cardinals don’t factor in loss at Bengals

John Gambadoro, co-host of Burns & Gambo:

First off, congratulations to Trey McBride on an outstanding game (10 catches for 76 yards and a TD) and a record-breaking season as he set the NFL single-season record for most receptions by a tight end (119), breaking a record set by Zach Ertz (116) in 2018. He also broke the Cardinals’ single-season record of 115 catches set by DeAndre Hopkins in 2020.

Outside of that, there isn’t another positive — except that there is just one game left in this miserable season that is likely, with one more loss, to go down as the worst in franchise history. No Cardinals team has ever lost 14 games, something this version can accomplish with a loss in L.A. to the Rams next week.

What was once, “The Cardinals are losing a lot of one-score games but playing hard,” has been replaced by five blowouts in their past eight straight losses. Since beating the Cowboys to move to 3-5 on Nov. 3, Arizona has lost games by 22, 10, 28, 20 and 23 points.

Yes, they are devastated by injuries. But they are not competitive.

This game was over early with the Bengals scoring on long drives the first two times they touched the ball and going up 23-7 at the half. Missed tackles galore on defense, no ability to run the football again and the inability to get a third-down stop (Cincy was 10 for 15) defined this one.

For those on vacation or just deciding not to watch because you checked out, you didn’t miss anything besides McBride’s heroics. One more game, then we can all turn the page on a season that was for all intents and purposes over by Halloween.

Tyler Drake, Cardinals reporter and co-host of Cardinals Corner

The end of the season can’t come soon enough for the Cardinals following another lopsided loss.

The Bengals simply relied on two of their biggest offensive weapons and poured it on early and often. Getting former Cardinals OL Cody Ford in on the receiving game only added to the woes behind his 21-yard catch and run.

Save for Cody Simon’s monster day and the continued excellence from Trey McBride and Michael Wilson, there weren’t many bright spots in Arizona’s 13th loss in its last 14 tries.

At this point, just get to the offseason as healthy as possible before even more issues impact next year’s campaign. That’s about the only kind of “win” that would matter in my book at this rate.