OFFICIAL: Cardinals Eliminated From Playoffs

The Arizona Cardinals' postseason dreams have come crashing down.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals have officially been eliminated from playoff contention following their overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 16.

The Cardinals entered Sunday with the possibility of being mathematically eliminated from the postseason with a loss and Los Angeles Rams win.

The Rams defeated the New York Jets 19-9 and Arizona lost 36-30 in overtime.

The Cardinals were once heavy favorites to make the postseason after entering their bye week with a 6-4 record and first place in the NFC West.

However, Arizona is just 1-4 in their last five games out of the break - their lone victory coming over the 3-10 New England Patriots.

Realistically the Cardinals were not expected to be strong playoff contenders ahead of the season, so their elimination in the grand scheme of the season isn't surprising nor shocking - though considering where the team was just a few weeks ago, it's certainly fair to label the result as disappointing.

The future is still bright in the desert, as the Cardinals can still finish with a winning record - which would be a major win considering their 4-13 finish to 2023 to begin the Jonathan Gannon era.

Projecting forward, the Cardinals still have their first five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on top of some of the highest cap space to play with in the offseason.

However, there's still two weeks remaining in the regular season, and Arizona would love to play the role of spoiler with divisional games against the Rams and 49ers on the schedule to finish 2024.