Arizona Cardinals Have Chance to Make Major Statement in 2025

The Arizona Cardinals play in one of the toughest divisions in football. Despite many different iterations of this Cardinals team, the fact that their in-division competition is steep has never changed.

With that in mind, it’s fair to allow that Arizona may not have as much divisional success as they might if they played in a significantly weaker division.

But considering how lofty the challenge ahead of them is facing some of the NFL’s elite franchises, the challenge also offers them an opportunity to prove who they really are.

Are Arizona Cardinals Up for Tough NFC West Challenge?

In the first year of head coach Jonathan Gannon’s regime, the Cardinals did not win a single matchup in their division. That was a bit concerning, but allowances were made given the fact that the squad managed a paltry four wins in total.

That season win total doubled in 2024, and with that improvement also came divisional improvement. Gannon‘s team went 3-3 against their division rivals, a feat that had not been accomplished since Kliff Kingsbury’s 11-win 2021 team.

That number should continue to rise, as should their overall record in 2025. Winning divisional games is one of the most crucial things a team can do to improve their playoff chances — an obvious conclusion, but an important one that has been ignored in recent seasons.

The Cardinals don’t need to win 12+ games to prove they are a good team in 2025. Due to the unpredictable nature of the NFL, they may not even need to make the playoffs to prove they’re on the right track, depending on how the team performs as a whole.

But sporting a good divisional record, and becoming one of the more feared members of NFL’s toughest division would go an extremely long way for proving that the Cardinals are here to compete with the best of the best.

What will matter the most is how they compete in some of the most high-pressure situations. Can the Cardinals defend their home territory against heated rivals, or will they fall by the wayside as opposing fans cheer for upsets.

The West is not as strong as it has been, with the 49ers reeling, the Seahawks in the midst of a semi-rebuild, and the Rams remaining a (dangerous) wild card of a team.

The Cardinals need to step up and show they are capable of taking down these teams. They'll need to weather the wild West to prove their worth.

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