Even After Another Loss, Cardinals Know They're Close

The Arizona Cardinals are on the brink of being everything they want to be.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) reacts after a pass is interceptied with 42 seconds remaining against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

LOS ANGELES -- The Arizona Cardinals are close.

It's such an odd reality for teams in the National Football League like the Cardinals to balance. Wins and losses ultimately dictate jobs and positions, though progress is evident even in the midst of losing.

Arizona's latest loss came in heartbreaking fashion at SoFi Stadium, falling to the Los Angeles Rams on a game-sealing interception in the end zone with mere seconds left on the clock.

The Cardinals have admirably fought tooth and nail since head coach Jonathan Gannon took over ahead of the 2023 season. Gannon's first season saw just four wins while the Cardinals can double that total with a victory over San Francisco next Sunday.

Arizona's close to competing - they know it - though another loss sank them to just a 1-5 record after they led the NFC West entering their bye week.

"Obviously disappointed about the loss. I thought we competed in all three phases. Made some plays but ultimately they made a couple more than us. The ball didn't bounce our way, and that happens in the NFL," Gannon told reporters after the loss.

"But I just told them, I'm proud of the way they battled. Everyone [when] we got the ball there at the end thought we're going to win the game - so did I, and they made a good play. So hats off to them. It stings, man, it does, because we're there, but we're not there. So we got to just keep working. Head down. Keep working."

Arizona's offense again failed to produce when it mattered most, mustering just nine points on the scoreboard despite totaling 396 yards of offense. The Cardinals' defense limited the Rams to just three second-half points.

In the glimpses we've seen of complementary football, the Cardinals have looked very much like the team Arizona boasted themselves to be during training camp and preseason.

Yet those games have been too far and few between for the Cardinals to make a serious push, at least this early in their rebuild.

"When we play our brand of ball, I think we can compete and beat anybody. But, again that doesn't count. It's about winning and losing. I just got to do a better job, you know? But I know they're battling. They're doing the right things. They're having enthusiasm about their job when they come in the building," Gannon continued.

"I know we're close, man. I know it's hard to see that. For me that's hard to take on the chin, but we'll get better from it. We'll get better."

The Cardinals won't flat out admit it, but they've danced around the fact that nobody gave them a shot to play meaningful games when December rolled around. 2024 - in a realistic sense - was supposed to be a step forward from four wins.

Process over results. That's been a phrase repeated almost at nausea at the team's facility in Tempe, but on a macro level, it's a saying that could ultimately turn postseason dreams into reality.

"We got to get our process a little bit better. That's what I always look to, we got to just make sure we're on point and get it a little bit better. A couple changes here or there," said Gannon.

"I told them, I've been on teams that've been out of it, and now we've been out of it now two years - last year a lot quicker than this year. But I've been on a lot of teams that don't compete the way they compete, so I know we got the right guys in the locker room. I know that."

In a fairly empty press conference room, quarterback Kyler Murray sat in the corner waiting for media members to settle before limping his way to the podium.

Murray is perhaps the most competitive person I've covered between the NFL and NBA - all narratives about him personally or professionally aside, what's not debatable is his desire to win games.

It's been a tough pill to swallow for Murray in recent weeks, but even in the midst of loss after loss, the bigger picture is still seen by Arizona's franchise quarterback.

"We choose to be positive about it. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think we're a couple plays away. A couple plays away from being a ten-win team, right where we want to be, like I said going to the playoffs or winning the division - I don't think anybody thought we'd be in this position - not that it matters but I agree with what JG [Jonathan Gannon]'s saying, preaching," he said.

"I'm excited."