The Arizona Cardinals could not do it themselves, but they have officially clinched a postseason berth. They will be in the postseason for the first time since 2015.
Thanks to a 30-23 loss by the Minnesota Vikings to the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals are now guaranteed at least a wild-card berth.
Entering the week, there were seven scenarios in which they could have clinched a spot in the postseason. They could have beaten the Indianapolis Colts but they did not. But with the San Francisco 49ers losing on Thursday night, a loss or tie by the Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles or New Orleans Saints would have given the Cardinals a playoff berth.
The Eagles beat the Giants but the Vikings lost, punching the Cardinals’ ticket.
The Vikings’ loss did come at a cost. With the Cardinals’ loss and Rams’ win, the Cardinals lost the division lead. They now trail Los Angeles by a game in the NFC West.
With two games left in the regular season, the Cardinals can still win the division, but it will require them to beat both the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks, while the Rams must lose one of their final two games, one against the Baltimore Ravens and one against the 49ers.
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