Why Cardinals Are Confident, Even After Loss

The Arizona Cardinals still have their head up high.

Nov 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon looks on against the New York Jets during the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are keeping their heads high after a tough loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13.

It was a contest in which they didn't trail until the final minute of action, a game full of questionable decisions and ultimately a loss that could have some massive concequences down the stretch of the NFC playoff picture.

The Cardinals - after winning four in a row - are now 0-2 out of their bye week.

There's no panic from head coach Jonathan Gannon.

“The kind of guys in the locker room. I know the people in this building, everybody, not just the players, but the coaches and the staff. I know we'll be disciplined to stick to the process, and we'll put all our energy and focus into Seattle. (I) look forward to the opportunity to go out and play at home and get a win. Get back on track and get a win and get it rolling," he told reporters this week.

“Good teams are disciplined about their process, so that's what we'll do but there's a couple things that this week we're going to change up a little bit. Not crazy, but I talked to the team about it on Wednesday and Friday that we have to be better at a couple areas that I thought were better than last week. Just staying consistent and displaying winning behavior. That's what it always goes back to. We have to do it at a high level to give ourselves a chance to win Sunday.”

The Cardinals now find themselves a game behind the Seahawks for the division lead in the NFC West. With the conference's wild card picture fully locked and loaded, Arizona's safest path to playing deeper into January resides in taking the division crown.

The good news? Arizona's still in control of their destiny, playing all three other division opponents in the final stretch of the season.

“My thing with these guys was I think we've earned the right to play meaningful games in December, so we're kind of right where we wanted to be when we set out for the season. They're not thinking about that, but they know this is Seattle, divisional game at home now. They know where the standings are at, but they're focused on just Seattle," said Gannon.

"I told them in the locker room yesterday. I said, ‘If we're thinking about the next five games, we're out of alignment.’ We have to be thinking about one game, so that's what we'll be thinking about.”

Now, even after a tough blow, the Cardinals have to prepare for another round.

“Competitive stamina. You win some, you lose some. You have to get back at it. We have the whole boxing analogy. We got beat up in that round. Well, we didn't get beat up in that round. We went toe to toe in that round. They didn't get knocked out. We didn't get knocked out. If you said who won that round, they did," said Gannon.

"We have to get rejuvenated, get back up and get swinging. We'll be excited here when it's time to go. I know that.”