Hindsight 2022: Home is where the heartbreak is for the Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals aren’t exactly soaring into the playoffs: they’ve got a losing record over the second half of the season; they’re 1-4 in their last five games; and they have a Pro Bowl roster of guys dealing with injuries.

Still, they’re in the tournament and have as much of a chance of playing for a Super Bowl as any other team in the postseason. Any of the players and coaches who will be sitting and watching from home would trade places with the Cardinals faster than a snowbird can drive south for the winter.

That makes this a perfect time to reflect on the season to see just how we got to where we are. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown — with the benefit of hindsight.

Week 1:

Arizona 38, Tennessee 13: This win looked good in the moment. On the road against a playoff team that featuring a 2,000-yard rusher. The Cardinals held Derrick Henry to 58 yards rushing.

This win looks even better in hindsight. Tennessee has been one of the best teams in the league. Henry has, once again, been one of the league’s best rushers. And the Cardinals put 38 points on a team that would go on to boast one of the league’s top defenses.

Record: 1-0

Week 2:

Arizona 34, Minnesota 33: It takes a little luck sometimes. Arizona took a one-point lead with a field goal with about 4:30 left in the game, and the Cardinals offense had a chance to put the game away when it took possession with 2:45 left. Kyler Murray and company, however, went three-and-out, giving the Vikings a chance. Minnesota missed a 37-yard field goal attempt with 4 seconds left. Arizona cornerback Antonio Hamilton was so pumped he hit a backflip at midfield.

It ended up being that kind of year for the Vikings. They went 2-4 in games decided by three points or fewer.

Record: 2-0

Week 3:

Arizona 31, Jacksonville 19: Let’s not spend too much time on this one. Jacksonville ended up firing coach Urban Meyer before the season even ended, making him the first coach to get sacked before finishing his first season since the Falcons clipped Bobby Petrino’s wings after 13 games in 2007.

Record: 3-0

Week 4:

Arizona 37, LA Rams 20: At this point, it was starting to look special. This was Arizona’s first win over LA coach Sean McVay.

Record: 4-0

Week 5:

Arizona 17, San Francisco 10: Arizona was the NFL’s only unbeaten team by this point. The Cardinals won the game, but they lost tight end Maxx Williams for the season to a nasty leg injury.

Record: 5-0

Week 6:

Arizona 37, Cleveland 14: This was a big win for Kyler Murray as he outdueled former college teammate Baker Mayfield. The Cardinals couldn’t go undefeated, could they?

Record: 6-0

Week 7:

Arizona 31, Houston 5: JJ Watt posted a picture on Twitter of himself and DeAndre Hopkins smiling as they walked off the field. The former Texans were glad to have gotten out of Houston to have a chance to play for a winner. Watt tore up his shoulder in the win, however, and he wouldn’t play again in the regular season.

Record: 7-0

Week 8:

Green Bay 24, Arizona 21: This was a bad one. Kyler Murray missed a chance to beat Aaron Rodgers with the NFL world watching on a Thursday night. It would also foreshadow struggles winning at home that would nag Arizona going forward.

How much differently would we remember this game if Murray and receiver AJ Green had better communication on the final play of the game, which ended in a Green Bay interception, but could have just as easily ended in a game-winning touchdown pass?

Record: 7-1

Week 9:

Arizona 31, San Francisco 17: The Cardinals were undefeated against the NFC West. They were undefeated on the road. And this win was without Kyler Murray, who was out nursing a bum ankle, and DeAndre Hopkins, who had a bad hamstring. Maybe that Green Bay loss was a fluke?

Record: 8-1

Week 10:

Carolina 34, Arizona 10: This was Arizona’s second-consecutive home loss, and it was embarrassing. Quarterback Cam Newton came in off the street and put up two touchdowns the first two times he touched the ball.

Record: 8-2

Week 11:

Arizona 23, Seattle 13: Undefeated in the division. Undefeated on the road. And at this point, Arizona still hadn’t lost two games in a row. And the Cardinals were 2-1 with Colt McCoy in for Murray.

Record: 9-2

Week 12:

BYE

Week 13:

Arizona 33, Chicago 22: Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins looked good in their first game back, and Arizona improved to 7-0 on the road.

Record: 10-2

Week 14:

LA Rams 30, Arizona 23: Maybe it was no big deal? Then again, this was the third home loss in a row. And it set up a fight for the NFC West title that would linger into the season’s final week. DeAndre Hopkins got hurt again. This time it was his knee. He wouldn’t play again in the regular season.

Record: 10-3

Week 15:

Detroit 30, Arizona 12: This was Arizona’s first road loss of the season. It was Arizona’s first time losing back-to-back games … and it was a loss to the lowly Lions.

Record: 10-4

Week 16:

Indianapolis 22, Arizona 16: OK, time to panic.

Record: 10-5

Week 17:

Arizona 25, Dallas 22: This was huge. It ended a three-game losing streak and gave Arizona a chance to win the NFC West for the first time since 2015. As tight end Zach Ertz said after the loss to the Lions, “momentum is real in the NFL, good and bad.” This gave Arizona a chance to establish some good energy going into the playoffs.

Week 18:

Seattle 38, Arizona 30: The Cardinals finished the season on a 1-4 skid. They lost five home games in a row. And they missed out on the NFC West title and a chance to host a playoff game. The only good news? For the playoffs, the Cardinals are going on the road, where they’re 8-1.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hindsight 2022: Home is where the heartbreak is for the Arizona Cardinals