So - Where Do Cardinals Go From Here?

A disappointing season for the Cardinals still has two weeks remaining.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- It's all over but the crying now.

Perhaps Arizona Cardinals fans feel hoodwinked after the team's 6-4 start, which ignited a sense of hope within the Valley that the Cardinals had finally turned the corner and evolved into a threat to make the postseason.

Fast forward five weeks after their bye week, where the Cardinals are losers of their last four-of-five and now find themselves mathematically eliminated from the postseason with just two weeks remaining.

What happened during that damn bye week?

That's a mystery that nobody outside of the facility in Tempe can solve, though a better question we can ponder is - where do the Cardinals go from here?

"I know they're down, I know that's real. Ultimately, when you reflect on it, we haven't done enough and it starts with me. We win together. We lose together. Everyone had their hand in how this season has went and why we are where we are - and it starts with me," said Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon after the loss in Carolina.

You'll hear the run of the mill answers of "we have to keep fighting" and every iteration of that idea from the locker room/coaching staff - and there's some truth to that. There's still two weeks left to play on the year, and as prideful as Arizona is, they're not going to roll over - especially against divisional opponents.

Also, for those that need a reminder: This is the NFL. Players and coaches are competiting for their spot within an organization, whether that's here in Arizona or elsewhere. Tanking is not a real thing within a locker room or coaching staff level.

Quite honestly, I don't think anybody gives a flying you-know-what about draft position at the moment - nor should they.

Winning breeds winning. Losing breeds losing.

Perhaps the last two weeks can serve as an opportunity for some key players to be shelved and begin the healing process from injury - recently banged up guys such as Paris Johnson Jr., James Conner, Hjalte Froholdt and Mack Wilson come to mind.

That could also open the door for younger guys to gain opportunities through the last two games of the year.

It also could mean taking a long look at evaluating some prominent pieces to the puzzle for 2025 and beyond.

Sure, the postseason isn't a reality anymore, though the last two weeks of football could prove pivotal for the Cardinals to build momentum entering the offseason, even if Gannon himself doesn't believe in momentum.

Winning these next two weeks would push Arizona to over double of their win total from last season, marking a significant stride in year two of the Cardinals' rebuild - and as much as people hate that word around here, that's exactly what Arizona's going through at the moment.

It would signal to the rest of the NFL world that while the Cardinals aren't quite ready to claim a spot in the postseason - they're pretty damn close. And going into an offseason where Arizona will have plenty of spending power, that can be the difference between premier players choosing to come to the desert.

Perhaps more than anything, it could give you - Cardinals fans - hope. Hope that perhaps Arizona isn't a lost cause. Hope that even with the price increase to season tickets moving into 2025 that the price of admission would be worth it.

So - where do the Cardinals go from here?

They only go up.

The sense of urgency to keep working and end the year on a high note should be even higher than before.

Knowing the energy that Gannon and leaders in the locker room carry, that's likely going to be the case.