What was the Arizona Cardinals' record in 2020?
The Arizona Cardinals started 2020 off right. Arizona pulled off the heist of the century when they acquired Texans all star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins through trade. The Cardinals felt very optimistic about their chances for 2020.
DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray started the 2020-2021 season off by leading the Arizona Cardinals to back-to-back wins in the first two weeks. DeAndre Hopkins led the Cardinals in receiving for the first five games of the season. Hopkins recorded 45 receptions, 528 receiving yards and one touchdown to start his career with the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray developed great chemistry with DeAndre Hopkins from the beginning. During the first five weeks of the season, Kyler Murray recorded 1,299 passing yards and eight touchdowns. Murray added to his successful start by rushing for 296 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
After dropping back-to-back games against the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers. The Arizona Cardinals bounced back and ripped off three straight wins. During the three-game win streak, the Cardinals defeated the Jets, Cowboys, and Seahawks.
Arizona headed into their bye week with a (5-2) record. The Cardinals' bye week couldn't have come at a worse time. After the Arizona Cardinals' bye week, everything started to go downhill.
The Arizona Cardinals collapsed after their bye week
The Arizona Cardinals came off their bye week hosting the Miami Dolphins. Miami came into Arizona and defeated the Cardinals 34-31. It didn't take long for the Cardinals to bounce back from their loss to the Dolphins.
The Buffalo Bills were heading into Arizona riding a three-game winning streak. Arizona found themselves battling from behind for the majority of the game against the Bills. At one point in the third quarter, the Buffalo Bills were leading 23-9.
The Arizona Cardinals started their comeback by scoring ten unanswered points to take the lead over the Bills. Buffalo took over the lead with 34 seconds left in the game. Arizona had one more drive trailing 30-26 when Kyler Murray threw a 43 yard Hail Mary to DeAndre Hopkins to defeat the Bills 32-30.
Also Read: What is Deandre Hopkins’ Contract Breakdown?
The Cardinals were (6-3) heading into a division rivalry game with the Seattle Seahawks. Arizona hit a rough patch, losing three straight games to the Seahawks, Patriots, and Rams. Three weeks after defeating the Buffalo Bills, the Cardinals were sitting at (6-6) heading into Week 14.
After losing three straight games, the Arizona Cardinals ripped off back-to-back wins against the Giants and Eagles, putting them back in the playoff hunt. Arizona was sitting with a (8-6) record heading into their final two games against the 49ers and Rams. The San Francisco 49ers went into Arizona and defeated the Cardinals 20-12 dropping Arizona's record to (8-7).
With the loss to the 49ers, the Cardinals were put in a win or go home situation for their Week 17 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams. After starting the season (6-3), the Arizona Cardinals were on the verge of missing the playoffs. Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray suffered an injury early against the Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams defended their home field and defeated the Cardinals 18-7 in the final week of the season. With the loss to the Rams, the Arizona Cardinals were officially eliminated from the NFL playoffs. Arizona finished the 2020-2021 NFL season with a record of (8-8) and had one of the biggest meltdowns in NFL history.