Looking at the big picture can be frustrating when a team teases its fan base by winning four games in a row, is 6-4 in the bye and is in first place in the division.
However, it's important to take a broad view when considering where the Arizona Cardinals were when general manager Monti Ossenfort was handed the keys to the franchise and Jonathan Gannon was named head coach in early 2023.
It's also important to realize that the Cardinals were 1-4 after losing two games by one point each, but then moved to 6-4 by a total of four points thanks in large part to three wins at the end of the game came. Things went the other way again, with three losses by one point and a total of 11 points, including the decisive overtime win at Carolina.
Gannon said Monday after the season-ending win over the San Francisco 49ers: “Winning in the league is hard. I talk a lot to Monti about it and even to the coaches. If you've been around long enough, you understand the NFL. Yes, we are just a few games away from making the playoffs. Yes, we're just a few games away from getting four wins, but usually any team can say that. The point is that the margin for error in the NFL is slim and you have to maximize that margin.”
He concluded: “There are a lot of new players. In our second year in the system, I feel like we understood a little better what was going on. We executed at a slightly higher level. I think the guys out there who are playing well have really maximized their role. As I said, we are on our way. We just have to keep at it.”
The other reality is that there were only three teams in the NFL that improved their 2023-24 regular season wins more than the Cardinals: playoff teams Washington plus-8, Minnesota plus-7 and the Los Angeles Chargers plus-6 .
The Cardinals and Kansas City were both plus-4. After that there were Carolina, Detroit and Philadelphia plus-3; Buffalo, Denver and Green Bay plus-2; and Atlanta, Cincinnati, Seattle and Tampa Bay plus-1.
Of those 15 teams with a plus, six were in the playoffs last season and ten qualified this season.
There were four teams with the same win total this season: Houston, the Los Angeles Rams, New England and Pittsburgh. Aside from the Patriots, the other three have been to the playoffs in both seasons.
Of the 13 teams that have won fewer games this year, five were in the playoffs in 2023, but only one, minus-1 Baltimore, is in the playoffs this season.
As you can see from the rest, there have been some steep declines:
Baltimore and Indianapolis minus 1; Chicago and the New York Jets minus 2; Miami (2023 playoffs), New York Giants and Tennessee minus-3; Las Vegas and New Orleans minus-4; Dallas (2023 playoffs) and Jacksonville minus 5; San Francisco (2023 playoffs) minus-6; and Cleveland (2023 playoffs) a noticeable minus 8.
Now that the season is over, the focus is obviously on taking another leap. It may not have been four, but two would be ten wins and that was enough for the Bucs and Rams to win their division. The only team with ten wins watching this weekend is Seattle.
Gannon was pragmatic when asked about the balance between the positives and negatives of this season.
“Romans 12:2: Renew your mind,” he said. “That’s how I balance it. It really doesn't matter now. For me it's important how we improve because we need to win more games than we did this year. There is a way and a chance for this, and it starts with improving myself. I told the team that today. I said you can approach it two ways. You can listen to all the narratives, all the outside noises, all the external factors, as I would call them. Listen to all these things about why we haven't earned the right to play now.
“Or you can approach it by saying, ‘You know what? “I didn't perform well in the role I held.” Take that on the chin and then improve on it. That’s what I’m going to do and I know they will too.”
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