Don't Count Cardinals Out of Playoffs Just Yet

The Arizona Cardinals got some much needed help in Week 15.

Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (23) celebrates an interception with teammates against the New England Patriots in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

And just like that, hope remains for the Arizona Cardinals.

It's funny how everybody says the NFL is a week to week league, though we still manage to get caught up in letting one game impact our thinking of the big picture.

That said: After Sunday's win over the New England Patriots, we're so back.

The Cardinals managed to keep their postseason hopes alive with a 30-17 win over New England, improving to 7-7 on the season with three weeks left.

And what a three week stretch this will be.

After the Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football and the Seattle Seahawks lost on Sunday Night Football, the NFC West currently stands as follows:

Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
San Francisco 49ers (6-8)

The Cardinals now are just one game back from a three-way tie and play the Rams in two weeks while Seattle faces Los Angeles in the final week of the season.

“We're playing meaningful football in December right now, so we'll just reset ourselves. We know we've got a two day trip going to Carolina and they play hard and they're well coached," said Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.

"We're going to have to do what we need to do throughout the week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to give ourselves a chance to win. They know the challenge ahead of them and they're ready for it.”

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray isn't willing to look ahead past the present, however.

“I'm not looking forward. Today was the focus. It has to be that way. Otherwise, I don't even want to look forward to it. We took care of business today. (Will) go back and watch the tape and get ready for the Panthers," Murray said.

The Cardinals' win didn't really move the needle in terms of playoff percentages, as NFL.com currently has their odds at 14%. However, the Rams (55%) and Seahawks (34%) have higher odds at this time.

Arizona's chances at the postseason increase to 70% if they win out their remaining games according to The New York Times. They'll still need Seattle to drop more games along the way.

Yet all of that math and potential possibility resides in the future. For now - the Cardinals still cling on to hope of shocking everyone by extending their season past Week 18.