Predicting Cardinals Last Four Games

The Arizona Cardinals have four games left - how will their schedule pan out?

Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (70) is introduced before playing against the New York Jets at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 10, 2024. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four games remain in the 2024 regular season for the Arizona Cardinals, and the clock is ticking to turn things around and get back into competing for the playoffs like they were once upon a time a month ago.

The Cardinals went from controlling their own destiny to needing to win out and receive a lot of help to get into the postseason. Losers of three-straight since returning from their bye week, Arizona faces must-win games to close out the year and losing is not an option… but will that be enough to win out.

With the final four games all pivotal to Arizona, we look at each game and discuss whether they will result in wins or losses for the Cardinals.

Is it too late to turn it around? Probably, but let’s look anyways.

New England Patriots

Starting with this weekend’s game, the Cardinals host the Patriots for their final out-of-conference match of the season. New England is a bad team through and through, but there are a lot of similarities between this year’s Patriots team and last season’s Cardinals team in that they re a tough out that makes their opponents work for their win rather than simply get it by showing up.

Rookie QB and third overall pick Drake Maye has come along nicely as a rookie, and he looks to be the right man to turn the franchise around. His top weapon, tight end Hunter Henry has been a stud, but the rest of the team lacks much to fear. A rookie quarterback and a stud tight end isn’t enough to win games, hence their 3-10 record.

But again, this Patriots team simply plays hard and they’ve found ways to compete in games that we’d normally say they shouldn’t plus with the way this Cardinals team is slumping, there’s more than a puncher’s chance to get a win.

Ultimately, I don’t buy the Cards losing four-straight games including to a team expected to have a top five draft pick. This should be a win, but don’t expect a blowout.

Verdict: Win

@ Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are playing some good football as of late and I’m willing to be they have a few more wins up their sleeves. One of those wins may be the Cardinals in what will be Arizona's final non-division game. The tilt will be in Charlotte, too.

Like the 3-10 Patriots, the Panthers have played well recently and have lost to three-likely playoff teams by six points or less in their last three games. They have a chance to beat the Cowboys this Sunday before playing the Cardinals and the way they’re playing football right now should have the Cards on notice.

There are a lot of weaknesses on this Carolina team and the up-and-down playoff of former top-overall draft pick Bryce Young is concerning. Still, they are finding ways to play up to elite competition and it can’t be overlooked.

Like we said for the Patriots, the way the Cardinals are currently playing football is a losing formula that means they must be on alert no matter who their opponent is. If they don’t clean things up, Carolina could easily get the win and doom the rest of the season for AZ.

Verdict: Loss

@ Los Angeles Rams

Few teams in the league are playing hotter right now than the Rams, who have won three straight and seven of their last nine games since their bye week. It’s a completely different team than the one the Cardinals aced and upset in week two of the season and you better believe that LA has revenge on their mind.

I’ll keep this one short and sweet… this is a loss and likely a big one. Unless the Cardinals win both the Patriots and Panthers games entering this matchup, Arizona won’t have enough to play for to overmatch a Rams team that is gunning for the division title.

Heck, even if the Cardinals did win those two going into LA they still may not stand a chance because the Rams are playing for the same thing.

Debbie Downer reporting for duty – This is a loss for the Cardinals and likely the season-ender.

Verdict: Loss

Vs San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are one of the biggest surprises of the season. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance, the Niners were expected to run it back to the big game as an NFC heavyweight and instead they’re among the laughingstock of the NFC. What happened?

It matters little and at this point in the season San Francisco is likely moved on to 2025. So what does that mean for this game?

There’s a realistic chance that the Cardinals enter this game as losers of six-straight and a sot to finish dead last in the NFC West for the third-straight season. There’s also the chance that this game could decide who finishes in the cellar of the division and this Cards team may take exception to finishing last again.

I would take the home team in this game and that just so happens to be the Cardinals here, who sweep the Niners for the first time since 2021.

What a weird end to the season.

Verdict: Win

It’s not the ending to the season that Cardinals’ fans wanted after the way this season started off, but in the grand scheme of things an 8-9 record is a great building block in year two of the Jonathan Gannon era rebuild.

It’s a disappointing end to it all, but when we look back we will hopefully be more optimistic about the season’s totality. 

Final record: 8-9