Three Major Hard Knocks Takeaways

The Arizona Cardinals are 4-10 on the season, and the crew of Hard Knocks now shifts dynamics in their ability to foster hope down the final stretch of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals are officially out of the playoff hunt after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, and now the good people that produce HBO's Hard Knocks are faced with the tough task of selling storylines to finish the season. 

Typically, Hard Knocks can cling onto a handful of avenues of hope to sell as their training camp series concludes. If you didn't know any better watching this year's installment with the Detroit Lions, you would have thought they were Super Bowl contenders with the hype around them. 

Even with the in-season series with the Indianapolis Colts last year, the team didn't fumble their postseason spot until the very last week. 

However, the drama continues to unfold for the Cardinals both on and off the field, and that was again present in this week's episode:

Three Major Hard Knocks Takeaways 

Homecoming Weekend

Both Vance Joseph (Played at Colorado behind Kordell Stewart, coached for Broncos) and Trey McBride (recently drafted out of Colorado State, rooted for Denver) returned home in Week 15. Hard Knocks did a nice job of briefly touching on each family's background heading into their respective homecomings. 

Bidwill's Belief

General manager Steve Keim stepped away from the team for health reasons, and Hard Knocks showed Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill addressing the team on Keim's indefinite absence. Bidwill stated Keim should be good in the long-term while also encouraging Arizona to finish the season strong. That message was emphasized with a "I'm as f----- disappointed as everybody in this room."

Remaining Professional 

The Cardinals won't be playing playoff football in a few weeks, but there's still plenty for each coach and player to give as the weeks begin to wind down. Even in the midst of Kyler Murray's ACL injury (which was only briefly touched on), guys are fighting for jobs both on this team and others for next season. J.J. Watt made that very clear in his post-game message to the team after losing to Denver. 

Other takeaways:

-Hard Knocks has done a good job of profiling different players and their families throughout the show, and next up was Colt McCoy with the focus moving towards him as a starter for the remainder of the year. 

-Holiday cheer has stretched to the walls of the Cardinals' facility, and it was nice to see the players chipping in to get holiday gifts for the people who work behind the scenes there. 

-Leki Fotu making waffles was the highlight of the episode. No further spoilers.

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