2021 Arizona Cardinals season

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2021 Arizona Cardinals season
Owner Michael Bidwill
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury[lower-alpha 1]
General manager Steve Keim
Home field State Farm Stadium
Results
Record 11–6
Division place 2nd NFC West
Playoff finish Lost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Rams) 11–34
Pro Bowlers
5
AP All-Pros SS Budda Baker (2nd team)
Uniform
Ariz Cardinals uniforms.png

The 2021 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 102nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 34th in Arizona and their third under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. They improved from their 8–8 season from the previous year with a 23–13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. The Cardinals started 7–0 for the first time in 47 years when they were based in St. Louis. With their week 11 win over their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, the Cardinals improved on their record from the previous year and clinched their first winning season since 2015. Despite a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, the Cardinals clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2015 after the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams.

Despite an impressive 7–0 start and acquiring All-Pros J. J. Watt and A. J. Green prior to the season starting, the team suffered their second consecutive late-season collapse, only winning four out of their last ten games, resulting in them losing their lead in the division and dropping to the fifth seed. In the Wild Card playoffs, the Cardinals fell to the rival Los Angeles Rams on their way to win Super Bowl LVI.

In the offseason, cornerback Patrick Peterson was lost to free agency after 10 years, and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald chose not to sign with any team after 17 years with the franchise.[1]

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Roster changes

Position Player Tag 2021 team Contract
TE Dan Arnold UFA Carolina Panthers 2–year
S Chris Banjo UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
OT Kelvin Beachum UFA Arizona Cardinals 2–year
DE Angelo Blackson UFA Chicago Bears 2–year
LB De'Vondre Campbell UFA Green Bay Packers 1–year
TE Darrell Daniels UFA Arizona Cardinals 1-year
TE Seth DeValve UFA N/A N/A
RB Kenyan Drake UFA Las Vegas Raiders 2–year
LB Kylie Fitts ERFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
WR Larry Fitzgerald UFA N/A N/A
RB D. J. Foster UFA N/A N/A
OG Max Garcia UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
LB Dennis Gardeck RFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
LB Markus Golden UFA Arizona Cardinals 2–year
QB Brett Hundley UFA Indianapolis Colts 1–year
LB Isaiah Irving UFA N/A N/A
CB Johnathan Joseph UFA N/A N/A
CB Dre Kirkpatrick UFA San Francisco 49ers 1–year
P Andy Lee UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
K Mike Nugent UFA N/A N/A
DT Domata Peko UFA N/A N/A
DT Corey Peters UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
CB Patrick Peterson UFA Minnesota Vikings 1–year
CB Kevin Peterson UFA N/A N/A
LB Haason Reddick UFA Carolina Panthers 1–year
WR Trent Sherfield UFA San Francisco 49ers 1–year
OG J.R. Sweezy UFA N/A N/A
LB Ezekiel Turner RFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
LB Tanner Vallejo UFA Arizona Cardinals 2–year
S Charles Washington UFA Arizona Cardinals 1-year
Player re-signed by the Cardinals Player not re-signed by the Cardinals

Signings

Position Player Tag 2020 team Date signed Contract
WR A. J. Green UFA Cincinnati Bengals March 17 1–year, $8.5 million
K Matt Prater UFA Detroit Lions March 17 2–year, $6.5 million
DE J. J. Watt UFA Houston Texans March 17 2–year, $28 million
OG Brian Winters UFA Buffalo Bills March 22 1–year, $1 million
CB Malcolm Butler UFA Tennessee Titans March 25 1–year, $6 million
S Shawn Williams UFA Cincinnati Bengals March 29 1–year
QB Colt McCoy UFA New York Giants March 30 1–year
RB James Conner UFA Pittsburgh Steelers April 13 1-year

Trades

Draft

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Main article: 2021 NFL Draft
2021 Arizona Cardinals Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 16 Zaven Collins LB Tulsa
2 49 Rondale Moore WR Purdue
4 136 Marco Wilson CB Florida from Kansas City via Baltimore
6 210 Victor Dimukeje DE Duke from Baltimore
223 Tay Gowan CB UCF from Minnesota via trade for Mason Cole
7 243 James Wiggins S Cincinnati
247 Michal Menet C Penn State from Chicago via Las Vegas
Notes

Staff

2021 Arizona Cardinals staff
Front office
  • Owner – Michael Bidwill
  • Chairman/president – Michael Bidwill
  • General manager – Steve Keim
  • Vice president of player personnel – Quentin Harris
  • Vice president of pro scouting – Adrian Wilson
  • Vice president of football operations & facilities – Matt Caracciolo
  • Director of player personnel – Dru Grigson
  • Director of college scouting – Chris Culmer
  • Director of football administration – Matt Harriss

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Assistant special teams – Devin Fitzsimmons

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Buddy Morris
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Mark Naylor

Final roster

2021 Arizona Cardinals final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 Active, 7 Inactive, 16 Practice squad

Preseason

The Cardinals' preseason schedule was announced on May 12.[8]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 Template:Dow tooltip Dallas Cowboys W 19–16 1–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
2 Template:Dow tooltip Kansas City Chiefs L 10–17 1–1 State Farm Stadium Recap
3 Template:Dow tooltip at New Orleans Saints Cancelled due to Hurricane Ida[9]

Regular season

Schedule

The Cardinals' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.[8]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 at Tennessee Titans W 38–13 1–0 Nissan Stadium Recap
2 September 19 Minnesota Vikings W 34–33 2–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
3 September 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 31–19 3–0 TIAA Bank Field Recap
4 October 3 at Los Angeles Rams W 37–20 4–0 SoFi Stadium Recap
5 October 10 San Francisco 49ers W 17–10 5–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
6 October 17 at Cleveland Browns W 37–14 6–0 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
7 October 24 Houston Texans W 31−5 7–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
8 Template:Dow tooltip Green Bay Packers L 21–24 7–1 State Farm Stadium Recap
9 November 7 at San Francisco 49ers W 31–17 8–1 Levi's Stadium Recap
10 November 14 Carolina Panthers L 10–34 8–2 State Farm Stadium Recap
11 November 21 at Seattle Seahawks W 23–13 9–2 Lumen Field Recap
12 Bye
13 December 5 at Chicago Bears W 33–22 10–2 Soldier Field Recap
14 Template:Dow tooltip Los Angeles Rams L 23–30 10–3 State Farm Stadium Recap
15 December 19 at Detroit Lions L 12–30 10–4 Ford Field Recap
16 December 25 Indianapolis Colts L 16–22 10–5 State Farm Stadium Recap
17 January 2 at Dallas Cowboys W 25–22 11–5 AT&T Stadium Recap
18 January 9 Seattle Seahawks L 30–38 11–6 State Farm Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Tennessee Titans

Week 1: Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 10 14 14 0 38
Titans 0 6 7 0 13

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

First quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 34-yard field goal, 9:26. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 4:05.
  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 5-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 8:18. Cardinals 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 1 yards, 0:19.

Second quarter

  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 17-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 11:03. Cardinals 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:32.
  • TEN – Ryan Tannehill 1-yard run (kick failed), 6:54. Cardinals 17–6. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:09.
  • ARI – Kyler Murray 2-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 1:49. Cardinals 24–6. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:06.

Third quarter

  • TEN – A. J. Brown 13-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Michael Badgley kick), 12:59. Cardinals 24–13. Drive: 2 plays, 32 yards, 0:47.
  • ARI – Christian Kirk 26-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 10:45. Cardinals 31–13. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:15.
  • ARI – Christian Kirk 11-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 3:11. Cardinals 38–13. Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 2:12.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 14 9 7 3 33
Cardinals 7 17 7 3 34

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • MIN – Justin Jefferson 14-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (kick failed, wide right), 8:56. Vikings 20–7. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 5:18.
  • ARI – Kyler Murray 12-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 3:15. Vikings 20–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:41.
  • ARI – Rondale Moore 77-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 1:33. Cardinals 21–20. Drive: 1 play, 77 yards, 0:13.
  • MIN – Greg Joseph 52-yard field goal, 0:21. Vikings 23–21. Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 1:12.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 62-yard field goal, 0:00. Cardinals 24–23. Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:21.

Third quarter

  • MIN – Nick Vigil 36-yard interception return (Greg Joseph kick), 14:00. Vikings 30–24.
  • ARI – A. J. Green 9-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 9:11. Cardinals 31–30. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:49.

Fourth quarter

  • MIN – Greg Joseph 52-yard field goal, 14:12. Vikings 33–31. Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 4:17.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 27-yard field goal, 4:25. Cardinals 34–33. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:26.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 3: Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 7 0 17 7 31
Jaguars 0 13 6 0 19

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: September 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/10:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 58,012
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib and Megan Olivi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 34-yard field goal, 7:38. Jaguars 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 4:47.
  • JAX – James Robinson 4-yard run (kick failed, wide right), 3:33. Jaguars 19–10. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:05.
  • ARI – James Conner 4-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 1:21. Jaguars 19–17. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:12.
  • ARI – Byron Murphy 29–yard interception return (Matt Prater kick), 0:24. Cardinals 24–19.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 6:49. Cardinals 31–19. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 6:52.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

The Cardinals earned their first 3–0 start since 2015.

Week 4: at Los Angeles Rams

Week 4: Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 7 17 10 3 37
Rams 10 3 0 7 20

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • ARI – Maxx Williams 14-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 10:44. Cardinals 14–10. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:08.
  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 8:44. Cardinals 21–10. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 1:51.
  • LAR – Matt Gay 22-yard field goal, 3:22. Cardinals 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 3:19.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 23-yard field goal, 0:04. Cardinals 24–13. Drive: 17 plays, 70 yards, 3:18.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 55-yard field goal, 10:15. Cardinals 27–13. Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 4:45.
  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 1:14. Cardinals 34–13. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:09.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 23-yard field goal, 3:38. Cardinals 37–13. Drive: 12 plays, 94 yards, 8:27.
  • LAR – Robert Woods 14-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Gay kick), 1:14. Cardinals 37–20. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:24.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

With the win, the Cardinals not only improved to 4–0 for the first time since 2012, but earned their first victory over the Rams since Week 17 of the 2016 season. Also, with the Broncos, the Raiders, and the Panthers losing their first games of the season, the Cardinals became the last undefeated team in the NFL.

Week 5: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
49ers 0 0 7 3 10
Cardinals 7 3 0 7 17

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 21-yard field goal, 5:27. Cardinals 10–0. Drive: 14 plays, 96 yards, 5:59.

Third quarter

  • SF – Deebo Samuel 13-yard run, (Joey Slye kick) 1:42. Cardinals 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 3:28.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 9-yard pass from Kyler Murray, (Matt Prater kick) 5:13. Cardinals 17–7. Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:36.
  • SF – Joey Slye 47-yard field goal, 4:12. Cardinals 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 1:01.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Week 6: at Cleveland Browns

Week 6: Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 7 16 7 7 37
Browns 0 14 0 0 14

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,431
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 13-yard pass from Kyler Murray, (Matt Prater kick), 14:49. Cardinals 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 4:41.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 36-yard field goal, 13:02. Cardinals 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:51.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 51-yard field goal, 9:24. Cardinals 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, -5 yards, 2:07.
  • CLE – Donovan Peoples-Jones 11-yard pass from Baker Mayfield, (Chase McLaughlin kick), 5:06. Cardinals 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:18.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 33-yard field goal, 0:43. Cardinals 23–7. Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 4:23.
  • CLE – Donovan Peoples-Jones 57-yard pass from Baker Mayfield, (Chase McLaughlin kick), 0:00. Cardinals 23–14. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 0:43.

Third quarter

  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 9-yard pass from Kyler Murray, (Matt Prater kick), 2:56. Cardinals 30–14. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:30.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – A. J. Green 14-yard pass from Kyler Murray, (Matt Prater kick), 4:48. Cardinals 37–14. Drive: 11 plays, 93 yards, 7:18.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

The Cardinals started 6–0 for the first time since 1974.

Week 7: vs. Houston Texans

Week 7: Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Texans 2 3 0 0 5
Cardinals 0 17 7 7 31

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 53-yard field goal, 14:55. Texans 5–0. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 3:03.
  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 1-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 9:01. Cardinals 7–5. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:54.
  • ARI – Christian Kirk 5-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 2:45. Cardinals 14–5. Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 2:58.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 31-yard field goal, 0:05. Cardinals 17–5. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 1:32.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Zach Ertz 47-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 7:58. Cardinals 24–5. Drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 3:33.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 18-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 10:22. Cardinals 31–5. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:53.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

The Arizona Cardinals played the Houston Texans at home. This was the first game where former Texans DeAndre Hopkins and JJ Watt played against their former team, as well as tight end Zach Ertz's debut with the Cardinals.

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 8: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 0 10 7 7 24
Cardinals 7 0 7 7 21

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • GB – Aaron Jones 2-yard run (Mason Crosby kick), 12:54. Tied 7–7. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:23.
  • GB – Mason Crosby 21-yard field goal, 6:24. Packers 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:19.

Third quarter

  • GB – Randall Cobb 2-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 11:37. Packers 17–7. Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 2:16.
  • ARI – James Conner 2-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 6:22. Packers 17–14. Drive: 12 plays, 81 yards, 5:15.

Fourth quarter

  • GB – Randall Cobb 6-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 14:56. Packers 24–14. Drive: 12 plays, 91 yards, 6:26.
  • ARI – James Conner 9-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 10:45. Packers 24–21. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:11.

Top passers

  • GB – Aaron Rodgers – 22/37, 184 yards, 2 TD
  • ARI – Kyler Murray – 22/33, 274 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

  • GB – A. J. Dillon – 16 rushes, 78 yards
  • ARI – Chase Edmonds – 7 rushes, 30 yards, TD

Top receivers

The Packers handed the Cardinals their first loss to deny them a perfect season with a 24–21 victory on Thursday Night Football, despite entering the game without their top three wide receivers—Allen Lazard and All-Pro WR Davante Adams missed the game due to COVID protocols, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling was still recovering from a groin injury suffered in Week 3. Kyler Murray had the ball with time winding down, and the ball in field goal range, but a pass intended for wide receiver A. J. Green was picked off in the endzone by Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas, who began the season on the Cardinals practice squad.

Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 9: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 14 3 14 0 31
49ers 0 7 7 3 17

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Scattered clouds, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 59,012
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 13-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 6:08. Cardinals 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 4:21.
  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 0:39. Cardinals 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:59.

Second quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 26-yard field goal, 4:02. Cardinals 17–0. Drive: 14 plays, 85 yards, 8:23.
  • SF – George Kittle 6-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Robbie Gould kick), 0:16. Cardinals 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:46.

Third quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 45-yard pass from Colt McCoy (Matt Prater kick), 13:33. Cardinals 24–7. Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:27.
  • ARI – Eno Benjamin 21-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 8:05. Cardinals 31–7. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:47.
  • SF – Brandon Aiyuk 11-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Robbie Gould kick), 4:56. Cardinals 31–14. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:09.

Fourth quarter

  • SF – Robbie Gould 26-yard field goal, 8:23. Cardinals 31–17. Drive: 7 plays, 28 yards, 2:34.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Despite Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins not playing, the Cardinals dominated the game to sweep the season series for the first time since 2018. With the win, the Cardinals improved to 8–1 and tied their 8-win mark from the previous season.

Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 10: Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 17 6 8 3 34
Cardinals 0 0 3 7 10

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

  • CAR – Cam Newton 2-yard run (Zane Gonzalez kick), 11:12. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:22.
  • CAR – Robby Anderson 2-yard pass from Cam Newton (Zane Gonzalez kick), 8:39. Panthers 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:12.
  • CAR – Zane Gonzalez 44-yard field goal, 1:00. Panthers 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:25.

Second quarter

  • CAR – Zane Gonzalez 48-yard field goal, 9:40. Panthers 20–0. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 5:09.
  • CAR – Zane Gonzalez 49-yard field goal, 0:00. Panthers 23–0. Drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 3:16.

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 11-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 9:19. Panthers 31–10. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 4:33.
  • CAR – Zane Gonzalez 27-yard field goal, 3:26. Panthers 34–10. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 5:53.

Top passers

  • CAR – P. J. Walker – 22/29, 167 yards, INT
  • ARI – Colt McCoy – 11/20, 107 yards, INT

Top rushers

  • CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 13 rushes, 95 yards
  • ARI – James Conner – 10 rushes, 39 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 10 receptions, 66 yards
  • ARI – Christian Kirk – 7 receptions, 58 yards

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 11: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 7 6 3 7 23
Seahawks 0 6 0 7 13

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 45 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,833
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • SEA – Jason Myers 27-yard field goal, 8:23. Cardinals 7-3. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 2:05.
  • ARI – Zach Ertz 2-yard pass from Colt McCoy (kick failed, wide right), 1:52. Cardinals 13-3. Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards, 6:31
  • SEA – Jason Myers 27-yard field goal, 1:05. Cardinals 13-6. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 0:47.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 53-yard field goal, 12:57. Cardinals 16-6. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 2:03.

Fourth quarter

  • SEA – DeeJay Dallas 2-yard run (Jason Myers kick), 7:05. Cardinals 16-13. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:51
  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 2:20. Cardinals 23-13. Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 4:45

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

With this win the Cardinals improved to 9-2 and secured their first winning season since 2015.

Week 13: at Chicago Bears

Week 13: Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 14 7 3 9 33
Bears 0 7 7 8 22

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

First quarter

  • ARI – DeAndre Hopkins 20-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 10:55. Cardinals 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:40.
  • ARI – Kyler Murray 9-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 1:39. Cardinals 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:12.

Second quarter

  • CHI – David Montgomery 1-yard run (Cairo Santos kick), 8:50. Cardinals 14–7. Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 7:49.
  • ARI – James Conner 23-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 5:40. Cardinals 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:10.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 33-yard field goal, 9:52. Cardinals 24–7. Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 5:08.
  • CHI – Jimmy Graham 1-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Cairo Santos kick), 2:49. Cardinals 24–14. Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 7:03.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 25-yard field goal, 8:31. Cardinals 27–14. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 3:05.
  • ARI – Kyler Murray 3-yard run (pass failed), 6:23. Cardinals 33–14. Drive: 2 plays, 12 yards, 0:45.
  • CHI – Jakeem Grant 8-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Andy Dalton–Jimmy Graham pass), 2:45. Cardinals 33–22. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:38.

Top passers

  • ARI – Kyler Murray – 11/15, 123 yards, 2 TD
  • CHI – Andy Dalton – 26/41, 229 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT

Top rushers

  • ARI – James Conner – 20 runs, 75 yards
  • CHI – David Montgomery – 21 rushes, 90 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • ARI – James Conner – 2 receptions, 36 yards, TD
  • CHI – Jakeem Grant – 5 receptions, 62 yards, TD

Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins returned to the field after the bye and connected for a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 14: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 13 14 3 30
Cardinals 3 10 0 10 23

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 53-yard field goal, 10:58. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 4:02.

Second quarter

  • LAR – Odell Beckham Jr. 2-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Gay kick), 12:53. Rams 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 5:57.
  • LAR – Matt Gay 55-yard field goal, 7:23. Rams 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 34 yards, 2:54.
  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 3:18. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:05.
  • LAR – Matt Gay 35-yard field goal, 0:35. Rams 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:43.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 53-yard field goal, 0:00. Tied 13–13. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 0:35.

Third quarter

  • LAR – Van Jefferson 52-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Gay kick), 13:36. Rams 20–13. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:24.
  • LAR – Cooper Kupp 4-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Gay kick), 9:45. Rams 27–13. Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 3:19.

Fourth quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 8-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 13:38. Rams 27–20. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 3:07.
  • LAR – Matt Gay 33-yard field goal, 7:20. Rams 30–20. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 6:18.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 49-yard field goal, 0:37. Rams 30–23. Drive: 11 plays, 56 yards, 2:07.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • LAR – Sony Michel – 20 rushes, 79 yards
  • ARI – Kyler Murray – 7 rushes, 61 yards

Top receivers

Week 15: at Detroit Lions

Week 15: Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 0 0 6 6 12
Lions 3 14 7 6 30

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 45,211
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib and Megan Olivi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

  • DET – Riley Patterson 37-yard field goal, 6:10. Lions 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 8:50.

Second quarter

  • DET – Amon-Ra St. Brown 37-yard pass from Jared Goff (Riley Patterson kick), 14:53. Lions 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 93 yards, 3:49.
  • DET – Josh Reynolds 22-yard pass from Jared Goff (Riley Patterson kick), 0:19. Lions 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 97 yards, 1:40.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 29-yard field goal, 11:22. Lions 17–3. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 3:38.
  • DET – Jason Cabinda 6-yard pass from Jared Goff (Riley Patterson kick), 8:10. Lions 24–3. Drive: 1 play, 6 yards, 0:05.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 29-yard field goal, 3:54. Lions 24–6. Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 4:16.

Fourth quarter

  • DET – Riley Patterson 47-yard field goal, 13:15. Lions 27–6. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 5:39.
  • ARI – Christian Kirk 26-yard pass from Kyler Murray (pass failed), 4:40. Lions 27–12. Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 3:08.
  • DET – Riley Patterson 45-yard field goal, 2:46. Lions 30–12. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 1:54.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Despite the Cardinals being the favorite to win, the 1-11-1 Detroit Lions blew them out 30-12 in an unexpected loss.

The Lions opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 37-yard field goal by Riley Patterson. The Lions scored 14 points in the second quarter via a 37-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown and a 22-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Josh Reynolds, which made the score 17–0 in favor of Detroit at half-time. The Cardinals finally got on the board in the third quarter via a 29-yard field goal by Matt Prater. The Lions extended their lead via a six-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Jason Cabinda. The Cardinals responded with a 29-yard field goal by Prater. The Lions extended their lead in the fourth quarter via a 47-yard field goal by Patterson. The Cardinals responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to Christian Kirk. The Lions scored the final points of the game via a 45-yard field goal by Patterson, making the final score 30–12 in favor of Detroit.

With the loss, Arizona fell to 10-4, marking their only road game loss in 2021.

Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts

NFL on Christmas Day

Week 16: Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Colts 7 5 3 7 22
Cardinals 6 0 7 3 16

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • IND – Penalty on Kyler Murray enforced in end zone for a Safety, 4:20. Colts 9–6.
  • IND – Michael Badgley 41-yard field goal, 0:01. Colts 12–6. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:19.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Antoine Wesley 24-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 10:53. Cardinals 13–12. Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 1:22.
  • IND – Michael Badgley 37-yard field goal, 0:03. Colts 15–13. Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 5:18.

Fourth quarter

  • IND – Dezmon Patmon 14-yard pass from Carson Wentz (Michael Badgley kick), 6:37. Colts 22–13. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 4:30.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 28-yard field goal, 0:42. Colts 22–16. Drive: 16 plays, 81 yards, 3:34.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • IND – Jonathan Taylor – 27 rushes, 108 yards
  • ARI – Kyler Murray – 4 rushes, 74 yards

Top receivers

Week 17: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 17: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 3 10 9 3 25
Cowboys 0 7 0 15 22

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST/2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,459
  • Referee: Scott Novak
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 24-yard field goal, 7:46. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:12.

Second quarter

  • ARI – Antoine Wesley 1-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 5:27. Cardinals 10–0. Drive: 15 plays, 91 yards, 8:25.
  • DAL – Michael Gallup 21-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Greg Zuerlein kick), 1:25. Cardinals 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 4:02.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 53-yard field goal, 0:00. Cardinals 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 1:25.

Third quarter

  • ARI – Antoine Wesley 19-yard pass from Kyler Murray (pass failed), 9:39. Cardinals 19–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 5:21.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 26-yard field goal, 4:01. Cardinals 22–7. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:44.

Fourth quarter

  • DAL – Cedrick Wilson Jr. 2-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Greg Zuerlein kick), 13:49. Cardinals 22–14. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 2:52.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 38-yard field goal, 8:32. Cardinals 25–14. Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 1:58.
  • DAL – Amari Cooper 4-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dak Prescott–Cedrick Wilson Jr. pass), 4:42. Cardinals 25–22. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:50.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • ARI – Chase Edmonds – 18 rushes, 53 yards
  • DAL – Dak Prescott – 5 rushes, 20 yards

Top receivers

With the win, the Cardinals finished a league-best 8–1 on the road.

Week 18: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 18: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Seahawks 7 10 7 14 38
Cardinals 7 3 14 6 30

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: January 9
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 63,858
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • ARI – Matt Prater 41-yard field goal, 11:44. Cardinals 10–7. Drive: 19 plays, 66 yards, 10:41.
  • SEA – Tyler Lockett 5-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Jason Myers kick), 7:41. Seahawks 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:03.
  • SEA – Jason Myers 38-yard field goal, 1:21. Seahawks 17–10 Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 2:19.

Third quarter

  • ARI – James Conner 20-yard pass from Kyler Murray (Matt Prater kick), 11:02. Tied 17–17. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 3:58.
  • ARI – James Conner 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 9:25. Cardinals 24–17. Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:37.
  • SEA – Freddie Swain 25-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Jason Myers kick), 1:57. Tied 24–24. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:38.

Fourth quarter

  • SEA – Russell Wilson 4-yard run (Jason Myers kick), 13:15. Seahawks 31–24. Drive: 3 plays, 10 yards, 1:45.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 30-yard field goal, 6:14. Seahawks 31–27. Drive: 14 plays, 67 yards, 7:01.
  • SEA – Rashaad Penny 62-yard run (Jason Myers kick), 4:34. Seahawks 38–27. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:40.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 36-yard field goal, 1:13. Seahawks 38–30. Drive: 14 plays, 57 yards, 3:21.

Top passers

  • SEA – Russell Wilson – 15/26, 238 yards, 3 TD, INT
  • ARI – Kyler Murray – 28/39, 240 yards, TD

Top rushers

  • SEA – Rashaad Penny – 23 rushes, 190 yards, TD
  • ARI – James Conner – 15 rushes, 52 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • SEA – Tyler Lockett – 5 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD
  • ARI – Zach Ertz – 7 receptions, 84 yards

With the loss, the Cardinals finished the season 11–6, earning a Wildcard spot in the 2021–22 NFL playoffs as the 5th seed.

Standings

Division

NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Los Angeles Rams 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 460 372 L1
(5) Arizona Cardinals 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 449 366 L1
(6) San Francisco 49ers 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 427 365 W2
Seattle Seahawks 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 395 366 W2

Conference

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[lower-alpha 2] Green Bay Packers North 13 4 0 .765 4–2 9–3 .479 .480 L1
2[lower-alpha 2] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 13 4 0 .765 4–2 8–4 .467 .443 W3
3[lower-alpha 3] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 6–0 10–2 .488 .431 W1
4[lower-alpha 3] Los Angeles Rams West 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 .483 .409 L1
Wild cards
5 Arizona Cardinals West 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .490 .492 L1
6 San Francisco 49ers West 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 .500 .438 W2
7[lower-alpha 4] Philadelphia Eagles East 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .469 .350 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[lower-alpha 4] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .512 .516 W2
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 9 0 .471 4–2 6–6 .507 .434 W1
10[lower-alpha 5] Washington Football Team East 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .529 .420 W1
11[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Seattle Seahawks West 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .519 .424 W2
12[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 2–4 4–8 .472 .315 L2
13 Chicago Bears North 6 11 0 .353 2–4 4–8 .524 .373 L1
14 Carolina Panthers South 5 12 0 .294 2–4 3–9 .509 .412 L7
15 New York Giants East 4 13 0 .235 1–5 3–9 .536 .485 L6
16 Detroit Lions North 3 13 1 .206 2–4 3–9 .528 .627 W1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. ↑ Vance Joseph and Jeff Rodgers (Interim HCs for Week 6 after Kingsbury tested positive for COVID-19)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Green Bay finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on conference record.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dallas finished ahead of LA Rams based on conference record.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Washington finished ahead of Atlanta and Seattle based on head-to-head sweep.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Seattle finished ahead of Atlanta based on common record.
  7. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

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See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card Template:Dow tooltip at Los Angeles Rams (4) L 11–34 0–1 SoFi Stadium Recap

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Los Angeles Rams

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Arizona Cardinals at (4) Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 0 0 8 3 11
Rams 7 14 7 6 34

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • LAR – Matthew Stafford 1-yard run (Matt Gay kick), 11:58. Rams 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 5:17.
  • LAR – David Long 3-yard interception return (Matt Gay kick), 7:59. Rams 21–0.

Third quarter

  • LAR – Cooper Kupp 7-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Gay kick), 10:36. Rams 28–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:24.
  • ARI – James Conner 2-yard run (Kyler Murray–Antoine Wesley pass), 4:11. Rams 28–8. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:25.

Fourth quarter

  • LAR – Matt Gay 37-yard field goal, 14:55. Rams 31–8. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 4:16.
  • ARI – Matt Prater 55-yard field goal, 10:13. Rams 31–11. Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 4:42.
  • LAR – Matt Gay 46-yard field goal, 4:21. Rams 34–11. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 5:52.

Top passers

  • ARI – Kyler Murray – 19/34, 137 yards, 2 INT
  • LAR – Matthew Stafford – 13/17, 202 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • ARI – Christian Kirk – 6 receptions, 51 yards
  • LAR – Cooper Kupp – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD

Statistics

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Further information: National Football League records

Team

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 4,276 251.5 10th
Rushing offense 2,076 122.1 10th
Total offense 6,352 373.6 8th
Passing defense 2,771 163.0 7th
Rushing defense 1,952 114.8 20th
Total defense 5,597 329.2 11th

Individual

Category Player Total yards
Offense
Passing Kyler Murray 3,787
Rushing James Conner 752
Receiving Christian Kirk 982
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Jalen Thompson 79
Sacks Markus Golden 11
Interceptions Byron Murphy 4

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[10][11]

References

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  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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