Cardinals Embracing 'Playoff' Mentality Moving Forward

It's going to be a fight to the finish for the Arizona Cardinals.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon talks with defensive tackle Dante Stills (55) during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are in a crucial stretch of their season.

Following their loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Cardinals have dropped from the top spot of the NFC West.

The good news? Arizona plays all other division rivals in their final six games of the schedule - meaning the Cardinals very well still are in control of their destiny after their 6-5 start.

They know some tough sledding is ahead, however.

“We're one round at a time. We're in playoff football right now. It is what it is, and we don't shy away from that. With the holiday coming up you can be thankful we're playing meaningful games right now because we've earned that right, but it really doesn't mean you-know-what," Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters ahead of this week's matchup against the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings.

"We have to put all our energy and focus into Minnesota. (They’re) a really good football team playing at a high level. Well coached, really good players and a tough place to play. We'll get to them on Wednesday, but every game means something right now. We pointed it out today because of the explosive play battle and the takeaway battle, which is our double positive was even. The point to that is the margin for error in playoff football and meaningful games is very small so we have to be on the details.”

Arizona's playoff chances are still higher than all others in the division following the loss, though Gannon says the Cardinals feels like they missed an opportunity.

"(We) had good meetings in there today. They're done now, but we feel like we missed an opportunity. We didn't play our best ball. A lot to learn from, a lot to correct and urgency to do that and onto Minnesota," he said.

That sure feels like the case, as the Cardinals could have gone two games up over everybody else in the NFC West with a victory.

Arizona's typically done a good job of looking at themselves in the mirror after a loss, which starts with their head coach but has trickled down to players in the locker room.

“Well, I think I'm a positive guy by nature, but I think what you're alluding to is the fabric of our team. When you don't get the result you want, you always look at yourself first. Then you look at your unit and then you look at the team. What they're probably talking about, just like myself, is when you don't get the result you want you go right to the negative or the bad. But there is a lot of good in that game too, (on) all three phases so (you) just have to learn from that and move on," said Gannon.

"Anytime you lose, your mind typically goes negative (with) disappointment, anger, sadness and all those emotions with it. But how do I channel those and accept them? Then what do I need to do to make sure I get the result I want?”

We'll see how the Cardinals respond in the next few weeks.