While it was heartbreaking, it was definitely the most fun any Cardinals fan has had in the postseason.
The Arizona Cardinals have yet to win a Super Bowl, but thy came close. They have been to the playoffs a few times since moving to Arizona, but one run is most memorable and most fun.
Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane kicked off this week with a trip down memory lane for every team, sharing every team’s most fun playoff run that didn’t end in a Super Bowl win.
That is most certainly the postseason after the 2008 season for the Cardinals.
They were named the worst playoff team in history, only to get hot and make it to the Super Bowl, losing on a last-minute touchdown by Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes.
The Cardinals won the NFC West with a 9-7 record, and showed they were worthy to be in the playoffs. Arizona defended home turf against the Falcons 30-24 in the wild-card, and then upset the No. 2 Carolina Panthers 33-13 in the divisional round. Arizona beat the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25 in the NFC Championship Game. The magical run was all thanks to 37-year-old Kurt Warner, who proved that he still had something to offer and wasn’t going out to pasture just yet.
It was the most fun any Cardinals fans had and it was the greatest heartbreak as well. It looked like they were going to do the unthinkable and win after Larry Fitzgerald scored his touchdown to give them the lead late in the game.
But between Ben Roethlisberger slipping away from a potential sack, Aaron Francisco slipping in coverage, allowing a big pass play and the final fateful catch by Holmes in the end zone that most Cardinals fans still don’t believe should have been a catch (they don’t believe he got both feet down), their fans were collectively shattered after they were filled with hope.
Every other playoff run ended with them getting smoked (1998 vs. Vikings, 2009 vs. Saints, 2015 vs. Panthers and 2021 vs. Rams) except for one — when they lost to an under-.500 Panthers team in 2014 when they had to have Ryan Lindley start at quarterback. That game was just ugly.
So with the greatest heartbreak Cardinals fans have ever experienced, it was accompanied by the most fun they have ever experienced in the postseason.
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