2008 Arizona Cardinals
The 2008 Arizona Cardinals went 9–7, finishing 1st in the NFC West, and lost the Super Bowl. They scored 427 points and allowed 426.
- Record
- 9–7
- Home
- 6–2
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 427–426
- NFC West
- Place 1 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Super Bowl
Where the season ranked
They scored 427 points, tied for the third-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 426, the fifth-most. Their point differential was +1.
How the season unfolded
The Cardinals started 2–2 and were 5–3 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 9–7.
Their longest winning streak was three games, from Week 9 to Week 11.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 41–17 over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 (October 5, 2008).
Their heaviest loss was 47–7 to the New England Patriots in Week 16 (December 21, 2008).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–3.
They played one overtime game and won it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 6–0 against the NFC West, sweeping the 49ers, the Rams, and the Seahawks.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–4 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they beat the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 at home.
In the Divisional round, they beat the Carolina Panthers 33–13 on the road.
In the NFC Championship Game, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 32–25 at home.
They lost Super Bowl XLIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27–23.
Before and after
That was a one-win improvement on 2007, when they went 8–8.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance in any season from 1999 on.
In 2009, they went 10–6 and returned to the playoffs.
2008 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2008 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 23–13 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2008 | vs Miami Dolphins | W 31–10 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2008 | at Washington | L 17–24 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2008 | at New York Jets | L 35–56 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2008 | vs Buffalo Bills | W 41–17 |
| Week 6 | Oct 12, 2008 | vs Dallas Cowboys | W 30–24 (OT) |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2008 | at Carolina Panthers | L 23–27 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2008 | at St. Louis Rams | W 34–13 |
| Week 10 | Nov 10, 2008 | vs San Francisco 49ers | W 29–24 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2008 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 26–20 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2008 | vs New York Giants | L 29–37 |
| Week 13 | Nov 27, 2008 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–48 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2008 | vs St. Louis Rams | W 34–10 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2008 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 14–35 |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2008 | at New England Patriots | L 7–47 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2008 | vs Seattle Seahawks | W 34–21 |
| Wild Card | Jan 3, 2009 | vs Atlanta Falcons | W 30–24 |
| Divisional | Jan 10, 2009 | at Carolina Panthers | W 33–13 |
| Conference championship | Jan 18, 2009 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | W 32–25 |
| Super Bowl | Feb 1, 2009 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | L 23–27 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2008 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.