The Arizona Cardinals lost what was arguably their most meaningful game in years on Sunday in 30-18 fashion to the Seattle Seahawks, dropping their playoff chances massively with just four weeks left in the season.
The Cardinals now sit at 6-7 on the season and on a three-game losing streak.
According to SI National's Gilberto Manzano, Arizona was one of the biggest losers of Week 14.
Full explanation:
"The 2024 Arizona Cardinals were a nice story for 10 weeks, but we can now forget about them as playoff hopefuls after a three-game losing streak and an ugly loss to the Seahawks.
"The Cardinals have been downgraded, by me, to merely a pesky team that can play spoiler in the final four weeks of the regular season. And Kyler Murray needs to do everything he can to ensure the Cardinals (6–7) spoil the postseason hopes of the Rams and 49ers when they play them in a few weeks or the organization might begin to wonder whether he’s the right quarterback to lead the franchise.
"And I understand the Cardinals still have decent odds to win the NFC West, especially with upcoming matchups against the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers. But I’m more fed up with the Cardinals’ stagnant offense than Marvin Harrison Jr.’s fantasy football managers.
"There were rumors about Murray possibly being on the way out if the Cardinals landed one of the top three picks in the 2024 draft, but they ended up picking fourth and selected Harrison. Murray has failed to get on the same page with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and hasn’t had much downfield chemistry with Harrison. And now he has had issues with turnovers, throwing five interceptions during this three-game losing streak.
"If the Cardinals don’t win out or at least go 3–1 during the final stretch, the team should strongly consider adding quarterback competition for Murray in the offseason. But if the team doesn’t view Murray as the problem, that might not be good news for Petzing, who hasn’t found another gear to a boring, conservative offense."
It's hard to disagree with the overall sentiment Manzano brings to the table, though it's tough to buy Murray's spot in Arizona up for debate - at least going into the 2025 season.
Murray's proven himself to be an extremely capable quarterback, though turnovers have held the Cardinals back in the last three weeks. He's undoubtedly the guy moving into next season, though there might be some tough conversations had over the next few months to figure out what needs to improve.
That could include the job status of Petzing, like Manzano alluded to, and that does seem more plausible. Between Arizona's sputtered offense and the inability to maximize No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., Petzing very much has the spotlight on him to finish the 2024 season.
The Cardinals aren't officially out of the postseason picture quite yet, though Arizona took a massive step back in their loss on Sunday, and they're deserving of "biggest loser" honors.