The Arizona Cardinals are grappling with a stark reality: their postseason hopes are slipping away.
A crucial 30-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday marked their third consecutive defeat, putting their playoff chances in serious jeopardy during the most challenging stretch of their season.
Arizona started strong, with Kyler Murray connecting on a 41 yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson during the opening drive.
However, the early momentum quickly dissipated. Two first-half interceptions by Murray led directly to Seattle touchdowns, setting the stage for a frustrating afternoon.
Murray, who finished with 259 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, took responsibility for his costly errors.
“I feel like I let the team down today — self-explanatory,” Murray said. “I can’t do that.”
The Cardinals’ issues extended beyond Murray’s turnovers. A holding penalty on left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. wiped out a crucial fourth-down conversion late in the first half, forcing a punt.
Later, kicker Chad Ryland missed a 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, squandering a chance to narrow the deficit.
Defensively, Arizona struggled to contain the Seahawks’ ground attack, surrendering a season-high 174 rushing yards.
Zach Charbonnet accounted for 134 of those yards and two touchdowns, dominating the Cardinals’ defense.
Once sitting atop the NFC West with a 6-4 record, Arizona (6-7) has unraveled since its bye week.
The current three-game skid leaves the Cardinals two games behind the Seahawks (8-5), who now hold the divisional tiebreaker after sweeping the season series.
The loss felt like a must-win for the Cardinals. While four games remain, closing the gap in the division appears increasingly unlikely.
“It’s tough, obviously, when you lose to a divisional opponent,” said linebacker Mack Wilson. “But we’ve still got four games left, still got a lot of ball left.”
Head coach Jonathan Gannon acknowledged the team’s precarious position.
“Disappointing loss — didn’t play our best ball there,” Gannon said. “I’ve got to find some answers because we haven’t played great the past few weeks.”
Now entering a pivotal stretch, the Cardinals must win out and hope for outside help to keep their playoff dreams alive.
With mounting questions about execution on both offense and defense, the team is quickly running out of time to reverse its fortunes.
