Every team kicks off the league year with the goal of making a deep run into the playoffs.
When that chase for the postseason is cut short, whether it is in Week 10 or, in the Cardinals' case, Week 16 in Carolina, the season doesn't just stop.
Neither does the process that has been instilled in the locker room.
"(We need) to be resilient and come back to work on Tuesday with the right mindset," linebacker Kyzir White said. "We just have to keep moving."
Sunday’s 36-30 overtime loss hurt. White talked about it, as did coach Jonathan Gannon, quarterback Kyler Murray, and others. With the loss, the urgency and anticipation certainly dissipates.
While the game Saturday against the Rams won't be the marquee matchup that was both hoped for and expected, Gannon emphasized nothing changes in terms of preparation or lineups. The goal is to win.
"It's obviously not the outcome we wanted and that we're not going to be playing in mid-January, but I'm excited for these two opportunities," Gannon said. "I understand how a lot of people think, but when you're in our seat, the joy is competition."
With two games left on the schedule, Gannon compared the time to the end of the 2023 season. The Cardinals were 1-8 before Murray made his season debut in Week 10 against the Falcons and finished the season 4-13.
The record mattered last year, yet the storylines surrounding the team's growth and competitiveness were at the center of most conversations. The Cardinals have an opportunity to double the win total of each of the last two seasons if they beat the Rams.
"It's a reality you go through as a player and as a coach because there's a lot of times you're going to think you could have and should have won every game," offensive coordinator Dew Petzing said. "I think the other side of that is you realize how hard it is to win. I think that's something that people in this league, the longer they're in it, don't take good seasons, good games, good performances for granted."
Right tackle Kelvin Beachum mentioned postgame the famous Bill Parcells quote about the record of a team. Gannon upped the ante, shouldering the blame for the performance of the team. "That's an indictment of myself. I'm not satisfied with myself," he said.
The process to continuously strive for more is what's pushing the Cardinals forward. Include their desire for competition and love for the game, Gannon is quick to point out that the 2024 season didn't end in Carolina.
"There's still a lot at stake for this team these last two games," Gannon said. "They understand that. They understand kind of the role that they're in now, how we got here, and also what's needed to go win a game."
