What Cardinals’ Loss to Falcons Revealed About a Frustrating Season

For the final time during the 2025 season, the Arizona Cardinals took the field at State Farm Stadium. And just like their last six games, and last six home games, the night resulted in a loss.

The Atlanta Falcons got the best of the Cardinals with a 26-19 final score, as a dominant Bijan Robinson, and a lack of red-zone offense by Arizona, resulted in the 12th loss in the last 12 games played by Jonathan Gannon’s group.

As a result, the defeat to Atlanta might’ve been the last home game for Gannon as the head coach of the Cardinals. All of those decisions will be made following the final two regular-season contests, but for now, plenty can be taken away from Arizona’s latest loss.

No, losing in itself isn’t anything new, but with another winnable ballgame slipping away, the frustration continues to build. The sheer amount of injuries might buy Gannon another year, but the injury situation could also simply cloud an otherwise embarrassing season.

So, without further ado, here are three more lessons from Arizona’s first-ever loss to the Falcons at State Farm Stadium.

RECAP: Cardinals Have No Answers for Bijan Robinson as Falcons Run Wild in Week 16

Injuries or not, a decision has to be made about Arizona’s future

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill talks with head coach Jonathan Gannon before playing against the New York Jets at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 10, 2024. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cardinals have had just about as bad of a year as anyone could’ve imagined ahead of the season, and injuries have been a key factor in Arizona’s demise. A total of 20 players were either ruled out or placed on injured reserve ahead of the matchup with the Falcons, and five more had to leave during the game.

CB Garrett Williams and DT Walter Nolen III were carted off with what appeared to be serious injuries, while S Budda Baker, LB Josh Sweat and C Hjalte Froholdt all exited with different issues throughout the contest.

Losing star players left and right has certainly played a role in the Cardinals’ 3-12 record, but the front office shouldn’t allow injuries to cloud decision-making surrounding the future of the franchise.

Gannon and the rest of the coaching staff’s tenures will be discussed, and someone will undoubtedly point to the injury situation as a reason the organization can’t accurately evaluate the performance of Gannon and Co.

But based on how the current season and the past three years have gone, Michael Bidwill has to know whether Gannon is the right man to lead the Cardinals. If he still believes in Gannon’s coaching, so be it, but the organization can’t continue kicking the can down the road because of injuries.

Players get hurt every single season, and the situation is extremely unfortunate, but injuries are a reality of football. The fact of the matter is the loss to the Falcons marked the 12th defeat in Arizona’s last 13 games, along with the eighth one-score loss in 2025. The Cardinals could’ve easily beaten Atlanta, but once again, late-game coaching appeared to be a factor in another heartbreaking defeat.

MORE: Cardinals First-Round Pick Carted Off vs Falcons

Cardinals continue to beat themselves

Along similar lines, Arizona continues to come up short in clutch moments due to a lack of execution in areas within the team’s control.

Against Atlanta, the issue was two missed field goals, as Chad Ryland went just 3 for 5 on kicks in the loss. Yes, the Cardinals lost by seven, but adding those six points would’ve dramatically changed the complexion of the game.

When missed field goals haven’t been the problem, penalties, a lack of quarterback protection or other controllable facets of the game have taken center stage. Coaching is certainly part of the issue, but that point has already been addressed enough.

Leadership on the roster is clearly a concern, and with different problems surfacing weekly, the situation has become a team-wide issue, most likely tied to Arizona’s removal from playoff contention. The Cardinals haven’t completely quit, as the team has competed in several games since postseason elimination, but the group lacks the same competitive edge as a team still fighting for a playoff spot.

That lack of edge is understandable, but because the problem has existed all season long, it speaks to the makeup of the team and helps explain why the year hasn’t gone as planned. Teams can’t beat themselves, and with missed red-zone opportunities leading to field-goal attempts — two of which were missed — winning becomes unrealistic.

A loss here isn’t as helpful as it seems

There’s usually a bright side to almost every result, and a loss typically brings draft-position benefits, but that silver lining doesn’t exist in this situation due to NFL draft order tiebreakers.

Despite the loss, the Cardinals didn’t improve their first-round draft position, as the team remains at No. 6 with a 3-12 record. The Titans lost Sunday, which theoretically could’ve helped Arizona, but tiebreakers still keep Tennessee’s pick ahead.

The multi-team tiebreaker is opponent winning percentage, per Tankathon.com, and Arizona loses significant ground among the four teams sitting at 3-12 due to its opponents’ strong combined record.

As a result, even if the Cardinals lose their final two games and finish with an abysmal 3-14 record, a top-five pick still isn’t guaranteed. The team would need help to climb into the top five, and even then, the chances of landing inside the top three remain slim.

Three wins would almost always secure a top-three selection, and sometimes even the No. 1 overall pick, but the Cardinals appear to have picked the wrong year to be really, really bad. None of those circumstances are within Arizona’s control, but the situation helps explain why the Red Sea might not feel satisfied even after a loss.

Wins are always sweet, and the Cardinals couldn’t secure one despite an impressive first half. With a nonexistent offense after halftime, combined with missed field goals and an inability to slow Robinson, the Falcons handed Arizona yet another loss during a rough 2025 campaign.