2008 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2008 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 89th in the National Football League (NFL), their 21st season in Arizona, and their second under head coach Ken Whisenhunt. The season marked the Cardinals' first Super Bowl appearance, coming as a result of their victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. The Cardinals slogan for the season was "Shock The World!" Riding the back of quarterback Kurt Warner, who had gone from being a backup for the St. Louis Rams in 1999 to leading the Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory, and franchise wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals went on a playoff run for the ages after having won just one playoff game in the last sixty years, as Warner once again recreated the magic he had captured with the Rams. (Coincidentally, both teams were based in St. Louis at one point or another, only to relocate to different cities.) The Cardinals began their season by compiling a 7–3 record by Week 11 and finished the regular season with a 9–7 record (their first winning season in 10 years), which was good enough to win the NFC West, and the Cardinals, for the first time since 1947, hosted a playoff game. In that wild card game, the Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Falcons. The next week, for the Divisional round of the playoffs, the Cardinals traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they upset the number 2 seeded Carolina Panthers. Then, because the Philadelphia Eagles also achieved an upset the same week (against the top-seeded New York Giants), the number-four seed Cardinals hosted the NFC Championship game, where they defeated the Eagles and qualified for the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. In Super Bowl XLIII, the Cardinals' winning streak ended. Though they led the Pittsburgh Steelers with less than a minute left to play in the game, they lost, 23–27. The 2008 Cardinals were the second 9–7 team to reach the Super Bowl, joining the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV, who also lost to the Steelers; however, the Rams had to win only two playoff games, rather than three, to reach the Super Bowl. Three years later in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants would become the first 9–7 team to win, overshadowing the Cardinals' achievement. In 2014, Athlon Sports ranked the 2008 Cardinals as the fourth-worst team to ever make the Super Bowl. Coaching staff 2008 NFL Draft selections Roster Schedule Preseason Regular season Standings Regular season results Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers The Cardinals began their 2008 campaign on the road against their NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers. In the first quarter, Arizona took flight as kicker Neil Rackers got a 25-yard field goal. The 49ers responded with RB Frank Gore's 41-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Cardinals responded with QB Kurt Warner completing a one-yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald, yet San Francisco tied the game with kicker Joe Nedney getting