Arizona Cardinals Must Make Playoff Push

All eyes are on the Arizona Cardinals making a playoff push this season, and rightfully so.

The Cardinals are entering year three of the Jonathan Gannon era with a reloaded defense and more continuity on offense with names such as Kyler Murray, James Conner, Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. - which should be more than enough to get the job done.

Arizona hasn't made the postseason since 2021 with their last division title coming in 2015 - and it's time for that to change.

Arizona Cardinals Must Make Playoff Push

From SI.com's Matt Verderame:

"The Cardinals played well throughout much of 2024, starting 6–4 before faltering late, losing five of six before winning in Week 17 over the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers.

"Still, Arizona has reason to believe it’s a playoff team. The Cardinals have the talent to score points and added to all three levels of their defense in free agency and the draft. The big question is whether all those new faces will work well together, and if so, how long does it take?"

With all the talent, there's no excuse for the Cardinals to not be in playoff position down the stretch of 2025 - especially considering Arizona nearly made the postseason last year with a far less talented roster and little cohesion in the passing attack.

Verderame continued with, "The Los Angeles Rams are the NFC West favorite in many eyes, but the Cardinals have enough firepower to make it an intriguing race. There’s also the third-place schedule Arizona will face, giving it a trio of easier games (in theory, at least) over the Rams in the divisional race.

"It’s time for the Cardinals to make a push with many stars in their primes, including the best players on both sides of the ball, with Murray turning 28 years old in August and safety Budda Baker at 29."

We've officially entered make-or-break territory for the Cardinals after previous progress shown and improvements made over the course of the offseason.

It's not fair to say jobs are on the line - barring a dismal dumpster fire of a season - though heavy questions will be asked from top to bottom if Arizona can't make good on their potential.

Veteran DL Calais Campbell believes the Cardinals can make a run.

“Every team has high aspirations going into the season. This team’s no different … I think that everything is on the table for us,” Campbell told reporters. “It’s a lot of work. You got to do everything you’re supposed to do … but this team is special. I believe it has all the tools to make a run."

He's not the only one - but with expectations comes pressure, and for the first time in years, that's the case out here in the desert.

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