Coming off an exhilarating run to the NFC Championship, the 2016 Arizona Cardinals entered the year with massive Super Bowl expectations but ultimately delivered a maddeningly inconsistent 7-8-1 campaign. General manager Steve Keim pushed his chips to the center of the table in the offseason, executing a blockbuster trade for elite pass rusher Chandler Jones while adding veterans like Evan Mathis, Tyvon Branch, and Jermaine Gresham to a loaded roster. The talent was undeniably there, but the execution vanished when it mattered most. Under head coach Bruce Arians, Arizona stumbled out of the gate with an agonizing 23-21 opening night loss to a short-handed New England Patriots squad, setting a bleak tone for a year defined by special teams blunders and missed opportunities. Instead of capturing another NFC West crown, the Cardinals limped to a second-place finish, missing the postseason and leaving fans wondering how a championship window could slam shut so abruptly.

Despite the disappointing win-loss record, Bruce Arians’ offense remained a potent, high-volume machine that ranked ninth in the NFL with 5,868 total yards and sixth in scoring with 418 points at an average of 26.1 per contest. Quarterback Carson Palmer experienced a regression from his MVP-caliber 2015, yet he still managed to throw for a respectable 4,233 yards and 26 touchdowns over 15 starts, though he was hindered by 14 interceptions and took a brutal 40 sacks. The focal point of the offense was second-year running back David Johnson, who orchestrated one of the greatest dual-threat seasons in NFL history. Johnson was an unstoppable force, racking up 1,239 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 80 receptions for 879 yards and 4 scores through the air. Out wide, the legendary Larry Fitzgerald continued to defy Father Time, securing his 10th Pro Bowl nod by hauling in an NFL-leading 107 receptions for 1,023 yards and 6 touchdowns.

While the offense revolved around Johnson, defensive coordinator James Bettcher fielded a ferocious unit that suffocated opposing offenses, ranking an elite second overall in total yards allowed with just 4,883 surrendered. The Cardinals’ defense was built around a terrifying pass rush that terrorized quarterbacks to the tune of 45.0 total sacks. The newly acquired Chandler Jones immediately paid dividends with 11.0 sacks, perfectly complementing a breakout 12.5-sack campaign from linebacker Markus Golden and Calais Campbell’s 8.0 sacks along the defensive interior. In the secondary, superstar cornerback Patrick Peterson locked down half the field to earn another Pro Bowl selection, intercepting 3 passes, while Marcus Cooper emerged as a opportunist with a team-high 4 interceptions. Despite giving up a middling 362 points (22.6 ppg)- ranking 14th in the league - this defense consistently put Arizona in positions to win games that the offense and special teams ultimately squandered.

The defining theme of the 2016 season was the Cardinals’ inability to win tight football games, a stark contrast to their clutch pedigree from the year prior. Nothing encapsulated this bizarre, cursed season quite like their Week 7 Sunday Night Football clash against the Seattle Seahawks. In a grueling defensive slugfest that ended in a comedic 6-6 tie, both teams shanked chip-shot game-winning field goals in overtime, leaving the football world baffled and Arizona playoff hopes severely damaged as the tie left them sitting at 3-3-1. The Cardinals suffered heartbreaking road losses to Miami and Minnesota, unable to generate crucial mid-season momentum. They did manage a late-season offensive explosion, including a thrilling 34-31 upset victory over the Seahawks in Seattle on Christmas Eve and a 44-6 demolition of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, but it was nothing more than a bittersweet consolation prize.

Because of their staggering inability to close out close contests, the Cardinals missed the playoffs, rendering their 2016 season one of the most frustrating chapters in franchise history. They became a cautionary tale of how quickly Super Bowl windows can close in the modern NFL, squandering a dominant defense and elite offensive playmakers. However, the legacy of this squad is forever anchored by David Johnson’s breathtaking ascendance; he finished the year with 2,118 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Pro honors and cementing himself as the premier offensive weapon in the sport for a fleeting moment. Ultimately, 2016 felt like a wasted opportunity, a year where Arizona had all the individual talent required to hoist a Lombardi Trophy but lacked the consistency to make it to the tournament.