Christian Kirk remembers 2008, when the Cardinals made their run through the playoffs and reached the Super Bowl. Kirk was 12, and his Scottsdale neighborhood would have block parties around the games.

"The Valley rallies around their sports teams, especially when they are having success," the wide receiver said.

It was easy to see that recently, when the NBA's Phoenix Suns made their run to the Finals and many Cardinals not only took part by attending games or watching, but also took note.

"The pressure is going to be on the Cardinals to try and get something similar done like that," said running back Chase Edmonds, who is friends with Suns forward Mikal Bridges.

Edmonds didn't get a chance to attend any games live, but he said you could hear the difference between the Phoenix crowds at Suns' home games and those from other NBA playoff games. That's something the Cardinals would love to tap into.

"It wasn't surprising seeing how energetic and passionate everyone was," Kirk said of the playoff run. "Of course, we sat back as Arizona Cardinals players and we were like, 'We have a great opportunity to do the same thing.' It's definitely a tidbit of motivation for us, to do the same thing for the Valley."