Did Cardinals Playoff Chances Take Massive Hit?

The Arizona Cardinals fell flat in Seattle - how are their playoff chances impacted?

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) reacts following a third down play against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals fell flat in their return to play, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in 16-6 fashion on Sunday.

As a result, the Cardinals are no longer tops in the NFC West as the Seahawks are tied with them record-wise, but Seattle has the head to head advantage over them.

The good news? Arizona has a short turnaround to right their wrongs, as a road trip to Minnesota this week stands in the way of a massive home contest against the Seahawks in Week 14.

Pro Football Focus highlighted the Cardinals as one of the teams with most on the line last Sunday, as a win would have propelled their playoff chances to 76% while a loss sunk them to just 40%.

The teams with the most at stake in Week 12 👀 pic.twitter.com/7b8ITDvjDd

— PFF (@PFF) November 23, 2024

Rather than having a two-game lead in the NFC West with six weeks of football left, the Cardinals now find themselves in a dogfight for the division with matchups against all three teams left on their schedule.

But is it really as drastic as PFF projects after the loss?

On The Athletic's model entering Week 12, the Cardinals had a 63% chance to make the postseason with 58% odds to win the division.

After the loss, those odds dropped to 54% and 51%, respectfully.

The loss dropped their chances, sure, though they still hold higher odds to win the division than all other teams:

This is The Athletic's playoff and division probabilities after Week 12. #AZCardinals still top of the division in both. pic.twitter.com/PAjDKmwXYO

— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) November 25, 2024

For ESPN, it's the same story - Arizona 's 53% odds to make the postseason with 49% odds to win the division are by far tops in the NFC West.

Tankathon has the Cardinals' remaining strength of schedule in the bottom half of the league, with "tough" matchups coming against the Vikings and Seahawks and their "easier" matchups coming with the Patriots, Panthers, Rams and 49ers.

Arizona's next two weeks are going to be incredibly tough, and giving the Vikings an assumed win over the Cardinals at home, we could be entering must-win territory when Seattle returns to State Farm Stadium.

After that, the schedule becomes much friendlier for a Cardinals team looking to compete for a postseason appearance.

For those curious, schedules for the Rams (17th in SOS), Seahawks (11th) and 49ers (5th) rank higher than Arizona.

Case in point - the Cardinals are still in a good spot, though the next two weeks will either greatfully help or hinder their chances in the postseason hunt.

More Arizona Cardinals News/Analysis

- Grades: Cardinals Fall Flat in Seattle
- Takeaways: Cardinals Humbled by Seahawks
- NFC West Outlook: Cardinals Dethroned
- What Loss to Seahawks Means for Cardinals
- Cardinals Update Kyler Murray Injury