After limping to a 1-3 start, the Cardinals turned it around. At 2-4, they rattled off four wins in a row, entering the bye at 6-4.
After that, the wheels came off.
They’ve lost four of five. Sunday’s overtime defeat in Carolina ended Arizona’s shot at a playoff berth.
On Monday, coach Jonathan Gannon accepted the blame for the collapse.
“I’m not satisfied with the performance of the team, and that starts with me,” Gannon told reporters, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “So, what I’m really saying, that’s an indictment on myself. I’m not satisfied with myself.”
There’s a certain amount of risk that comes from being so candid, given the team’s history of changing coaches. The franchise, which dates back to 1920, has had a permanent revolving door at the top job. Only two men — Jim Hanifan from 1980 through 1985 and Ken Whisenhunt from 2007 through 2012 — lasted six seasons.
While there’s no specific reason to think Gannon won’t be back for a third try, two years and no playoff appearances mean that, at a minimum, his seat could be pre-warmed entering 2025.
For now, the Cardinals are left to play out the string, against the Rams on Saturday night and the 49ers the following weekend.
“It’s obviously not the outcome we wanted that we’re not going to be playing in mid-January, but I’m excited for these two opportunities,” Gannon said. “One on the road versus a playoff team and then a team that’s been winning our division for a long time.”
Still, the games are ultimately meaningless for the Cardinals, save for establishing their final draft order. And the better they do, the lower they’ll pick.
“I understand how a lot of people think, I guess,” Gannon said. “But when you’re in our seat, you get the joy is competition. So, last year we weren’t playing for anything. We made a lot of hay and got a lot better and we did a lot of good things last year that I thought that we built on and followed us a little bit into this year, you know what I mean?
“So, they’re learning opportunities for us and we’re going to go play a really good team and I’m excited about it. That’s the competitor in me, can’t wait to play on Saturday. I wish it was here, but you got to go through the process.”
Last year, the Cardinals went 4-13. This year, they still have a shot at a winning record, carrying a 7-8 mark into the final games of the campaign.
Again, there’s no reason to think Gannon is currently in danger, but for the team’s historical habit of not having the same coach in place for very long. Still, the last two coaches who went three full seasons with a playoff appearance — Whisenhunt (2010-12) and Dennis Green (2004-06) — didn’t get a fourth try. And that was before the playoff field expanded from 12 to 14.
So, yes, 2025 could be the up or out year for Gannon.
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