The excitement of a new era quickly turned to disappointment for the Arizona Cardinals in 2024. After showing early promise under first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals stumbled down the stretch, losing four of their final five games to fall out of playoff contention. Now, Gannon is shouldering the blame for his team’s late-season collapse.
“I’m not satisfied with the performance of the team and that starts with me,” Gannon told reporters on Monday. “So, what I’m really saying, that’s an indictment on myself. I’m not satisfied with myself.”
From Division Leaders to Eliminated
Entering their Week 12 bye, the Cardinals sat atop the NFC West with a 6-4 record. But wins were hard to come by in the final stretch. Arizona lost back-to-back games out of the bye, then alternated wins and losses over the next three weeks. Sunday’s 36-30 overtime loss to the three-win Carolina Panthers officially eliminated the Cardinals from postseason contention.
Gannon described much of what happened in the loss to Carolina as “self-inflicted,” putting the onus on his own preparation and game management. The Cardinals fell behind 20-3 in the first half before rallying to take a fourth-quarter lead. But they couldn’t hold on, ultimately falling in the extra period.
Missed Opportunities on Defense
Known for his defensive prowess from his time as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, Gannon expressed disappointment in his unit’s performance on Sunday. The Cardinals struggled to contain Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, who gashed them for 152 rushing yards. They also had trouble defending mobile quarterback Bryce Young, who added 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
“That starts with me,” Gannon said of the defensive struggles. “Dug ourselves out of the hole, had some chances to win it and, ultimately, all three phases didn’t do enough. So, it’s a good learning experience.”
Looking Ahead to Final Two Games
Even with their playoff hopes extinguished, Gannon remains focused on finishing the season strong over the final two weeks. The Cardinals visit the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night in a matchup that could impact the Rams’ postseason positioning. Then they close out the year at home against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18.
“It’s obviously not the outcome we wanted that we’re not going to be playing in mid-January, but I’m excited for these two opportunities,” Gannon said. “One on the road versus a playoff team and then a team that’s been winning our division for a long time.”
Gannon views these final two contests as important building blocks for the future in Arizona. He compared it to the end of the 2023 season, when the Cardinals played hard down the stretch despite being eliminated from contention.
“Last year we weren’t playing for anything. We made a lot of hay and got a lot better and we did a lot of good things last year that I thought that we built on and followed us a little bit into this year, you know what I mean?” Gannon said. “So, they’re learning opportunities for us and we’re going to go play a really good team and I’m excited about it. That’s the competitor in me, can’t wait to play on Saturday.”
The Road Ahead for Gannon and the Cardinals
While the 2024 season didn’t end the way he hoped, Jonathan Gannon seems determined to learn from this experience and build the Cardinals into a consistent winner. As a first-time head coach, growing pains are to be expected. The key will be how he adapts and improves going forward.
Arizona has the makings of a talented roster with young stars like Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown. But they play in the extremely competitive NFC West, where the Rams and 49ers have been perennial Super Bowl contenders in recent years. It will take astute roster management and player development to elevate the Cardinals to that level.
For now, Gannon is focused on the micro – squeezing out two more wins to end 2024 on a high note. But the macro view will need to be addressed in the offseason. How can Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort retool this roster to fix the weaknesses that plagued them down the stretch? Answering that question will be critical in determining whether the Cardinals can rebound into contenders in 2025 and beyond.
