Week 1: at St. Louis Rams The Cardinals began their season at the
Edward Jones Dome for an NFC West match against the
St. Louis Rams. The Cardinals scored first in the second quarter with kicker
Jay Feely nailing a 22-yard field goal, which was replied by St. Louis when kicker
Josh Brown made a 46-yard field goal. Arizona took the lead again with running back
Tim Hightower making a 1-yard touchdown run, but failed to maintain it, with quarterback
Sam Bradford making a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Laurent Robinson. In the third quarter, the Cardinals trailed for the first time when Brown nailed a 25-yard field goal, which they overcame in the fourth quarter when quarterback
Derek Anderson made a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald, giving Arizona a win. With the win, Arizona began the season at 1–0.
Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons Hoping to maintain their current winning streak the Cardinals flew to
Georgia Dome for an NFC duel with the Falcons. In the first quarter Arizona trailed early as quarterback
Matt Ryan completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Roddy White, followed in the second quarter by kicker
Matt Bryant hitting a 24-yard field goal. Arizona would reply with running back
Tim Hightower getting an 80-yard touchdown run, but fell further behind when Ryan threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to fullback
Jason Snelling, followed by Snelling getting a 1-yard touchdown run. In the third quarter the Cardinals struggled further when Ryan completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Brian Finneran, followed by Bryan nailing a 35-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter Arizona continued to struggle with fullback
Jason Snelling getting a 7-yard touchdown run. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 1–1.
Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders The Cardinals' third game was an Interconference duel with the Raiders. The Cardinals led early in the first quarter when running back
LaRod Stephens-Howling returned a kickoff from his own goal line to the endzone running 102 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders replied and took the lead with quarterback
Bruce Gradkowski completing a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Zach Miller, followed by kicker
Sebastian Janikowski making a 22-yard field goal. Arizona replied with kicker
Jay Feely kicking a 42-yard field goal. Then the Raiders replied with Janikowski making a 54-yard field goal. The Cardinals took the lead in the second quarter when quarterback
Derek Anderson made a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Steve Breaston, but it didn't last very long after running back
Darren McFadden got a 2-yard touchdown run. Arizona got the lead back in the third quarter when Anderson found wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald on an 8-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter Oakland cut the lead when Janikowski made a 23-yard field goal. Janikowski missed three field goals in the game, giving Arizona the win. With the close win, Arizona improved to 2–1.
Week 4: at San Diego Chargers Hoping to increase their winning streak the Cardinals flew to
Qualcomm Stadium for an interconference duel with the Chargers. In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as quarterback
Philip Rivers completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Antonio Gates, but they replied in the second quarter when free safety
Kerry Rhodes recovered a fumble and ran 2 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. After that, the Cardinals fell further behind with fullback
Mike Tolbert making a 5-yard touchdown run, followed by Rivers making a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Antonio Gates. The Cardinals had more problems when quarterback
Derek Anderson's pass was intercepted by outside linebacker
Shaun Phillips which converted into a 31-yard touchdown run. This was followed in the third quarter by kicker
Nate Kaeding making a 48-yard field goal. Then running back
Ryan Mathews got a 15-yard touchdown run. This was followed in the fourth quarter by Kaeding nailing a 47-yard field goal. The Cardinals tried to cut the lead, but only came away with kicker
Jay Feely's 53-yard field goal. With the loss, Arizona fell to 2–2.
Week 5: vs. New Orleans Saints Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Chargers the Cardinals played on home ground for an NFC duel with the Super Bowl champion Saints using a new starting quarterback: Max Hall (who had substituted in for Derek Anderson in the previous game). In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as kicker
John Carney nailed a 31-yard field goal, followed by quarterback
Drew Brees completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Jeremy Shockey. The Cardinals replied with kicker
Jay Feely making a 37-yard field goal, followed by offensive tackle
Levi Brown recovering a fumble and returning it 2 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter the Cardinals replied and took the lead when Feely got a 44-yard field goal, followed the fourth quarter by Feely's 29-yard field goal. Then free safety
Kerry Rhodes recovered a fumble and ran 27 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The lead was broken down with Brees making a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Robert Meachem, but the Cardinals managed to pull away when Brees' pass was intercepted by cornerback
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and returned 28 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. With the win, Arizona went into their bye week at 3–2.
Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks Coming off their bye week the Cardinals flew to
Qwest Field for an NFC West rivalry match against the Seahawks. In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as kicker
Olindo Mare got a 20-yard field goal. Followed in the second quarter by quarterback
Matt Hasselbeck making a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Mike Williams. The Cardinals fell further behind in the third quarter with Mare nailing a 31 and a 51-yard field goal. The Cardinals replied with running back
Beanie Wells getting a 2-yard touchdown run. The Seahawks continued to score with Mare hitting a 24-yard field goal, but the Cardinals responded in the fourth quarter with kicker
Jay Feely getting a 24-yard field goal. The Seahawks pulled away with Mare making a 26-yard field goal. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–3.
Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Cardinals' seventh game was an NFC duel with the Buccaneers at University of Phoenix Stadium. In the first quarter the Cardinals took the lead when quarterback
Max Hall made a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald. The Buccaneers replied with outside linebacker
Geno Hayes returning an interception 41 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals led again in the second quarter with running back
Beanie Wells getting a 1-yard touchdown run, but the Buccaneers went on a scoring rally with quarterback
Josh Freeman making a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Mike Williams, and cornerback
Aqib Talib returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. This was followed by kicker
Connor Barth hitting a 21-yard field goal, and in the third quarter with running back
LeGarrette Blount getting a 15-yard touchdown run. The Cardinals also went on a rally to take the lead back with running back
LaRod Stephens-Howling making a 30-yard touchdown run, which was followed by inside linebacker
Gerald Hayes recovering a fumble and running 21 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. Then quarterback
Derek Anderson found Fitzgerald on a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Buccaneers scored once more to take the win with Blount getting a 1-yard touchdown run. With the loss, Arizona recorded back to back losses for the first time since the 2008 season, and fell to 3–4.
Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings Hoping to snap their current losing streak the Cardinals flew to
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for an NFC duel with the Vikings. In the second quarter the Cardinals trailed early as quarterback
Brett Favre got a 12-yard touchdown pass to running back
Adrian Peterson. They immediately replied with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by running back
LaRod Stephens-Howling. The Vikings responded with kicker
Ryan Longwell nailing a 21-yard field goal. The Cardinals replied a took the lead with quarterback
Derek Anderson completing a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Andre Roberts. This was followed by defensive back
Michael Adams returning a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown, and with kicker
Jay Feely making a 22-yard field goal. The lead was closed down by Peterson as he got a 4-yard touchdown run, and by quarterback
Brett Favre's 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Visanthe Shiancoe. After overtime the decision was made when Longwell successfully made a 35-yard field goal to give the Cardinals a loss, bringing their record down to 3–5.
Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks The Cardinals' ninth game was an NFC West rivalry re-match against the Seahawks. In the first quarter the Cardinals took the early lead as running back
Tim Hightower got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Seahawks replied with running back
Marshawn Lynch getting a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cardinals trailed with kicker
Olindo Mare getting a 41-yard field goal, but they answed back with kicker
Jay Feely nailing a 23-yard field goal. The Cardinals struggled further with quarterback
Matt Hasselbeck completing a 63-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deon Butler. This was followed in the third quarter by a 34, 19 and 23-yard field goal from Mare. In the fourth quarter Mare got another 19-yard field goal to put the Seahawks up 29–10. The Cardinals responded with quarterback
Derek Anderson making a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Early Doucet (with a successful 2-point conversion as Anderson found wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald), but the Seahawks put the game away with running back
Justin Forsett getting a 4-yard touchdown run. With the loss, Arizona fell to 3–6.
Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs Hoping to break their current losing streak the Cardinals flew to
Arrowhead Stadium for an interconference duel with the Chiefs. The Cardinals scored with kicker
Jay Feely hitting a 36-yard field goal, but they fell behind with quarterback
Matt Cassel completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Dwayne Bowe. This was followed by running back
Thomas Jones getting a 1 and a 3-yard touchdown run. The Cardinals responded with Feely making a 29-yard field goal, but they struggled further with kicker
Ryan Succop getting a 23-yard field goal, followed by Cassel throwing a 38-yard touchdown pass to Bowe. The Cardinals cut the lead with quarterback
Derek Anderson completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–7.
Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers Trying to snap a five-game losing streak, the Cardinals went home, donned their alternate uniforms again, and played a Week 12 NFC West duel with the
San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Arizona trailed early in the first quarter as 49ers quarterback
Troy Smith completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Michael Crabtree. The Cardinals answered with a 31-yard field goal from kicker
Jay Feely, but San Francisco struck back with running back
Anthony Dixon getting a 1-yard touchdown run. The 49ers added onto their lead in the second quarter with running back
Brian Westbrook getting an 8-yard touchdown run. Arizona would respond with Feely's 39-yard field goal. From there, San Francisco pulled away in the third quarter as 49ers kicker
Shane Andrus made a 38-yard field goal, followed by his 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–8.
Week 13: vs. St. Louis Rams Hoping to break a six-game losing streak the Cardinals played on home ground for a division rivalry match against the Rams. The Cardinals took the early lead as kicker
Jay Feely got a 45 and a 41-yard field goal. They soon trailed after kicker
Josh Brown hit a 28, 52 and 20-yard field goal. This was followed in the third quarter by running back
Steven Jackson getting a 27-yard touchdown run, and with Brown making a 43-yard field goal. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–9.
Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos The Cardinals thirteenth game was an interconference duel with the Broncos. The Cardinals trailed early as Broncos kicker
Steven Hauschka nailed a 32-yard field goal, but rallied to take the lead with kicker
Jay Feely making a 36 and a 48-yard field goal, followed by his 5-yard touchdown run to the endzone, then he made a 55, 23 and a 49-yard field goal to put the Cardinals up 22–3. The lead was narrowed slightly as Hauschka got a 30-yard field goal, but the Cardinals increased their lead with running back
Tim Hightower getting an 8-yard touchdown run. The Broncos tried to break down the lead as running back
Knowshon Moreno got a 1-yard touchdown run, but the Cardinals pulled away with Hightower getting a 35-yard touchdown run, followed by defensive end
Darnell Dockett recovering a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown. With the win, Arizona improved to 4–9, and got their first-ever win over the Broncos in the franchise's history, though they tied in
1973 and never played the Broncos between
1978 and
1988. Despite losing nine games on the year, the Cardinals were still playoff-eligible in the very weak NFC West.
Week 15: at Carolina Panthers Coming off their win over the Broncos the Cardinals flew to
Bank of America Stadium for an NFC duel with the Panthers. In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as kicker
John Kasay hit a 28 and a 29-yard field goal. This was followed in the second quarter by quarterback
Jimmy Clausen completing a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Jeff King. The Cardinals answered with kicker
Jay Feely nailing a 23-yard field goal, but struggled further after Kasay made a 24 and a 43-yard field goal. The Cardinals tried to come back with
Steve Breaston recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown (with a failed two-point conversion) and then with Feely getting a 30-yard field goal, but the Panthers' defense was enough to secure themselves the win. With the loss, Arizona fell to 4–10, and was officially ousted from the postseason for the first time since 2007.
Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys This game marked the second time the Cardinals hosted the Cowboys on Christmas Day, after a 1995
Monday Night Football contest.
Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers The Cardinals' final game was an NFC West rivalry rematch against the 49ers. The Cardinals trailed early as quarterback
Alex Smith completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Ted Ginn Jr., followed in the second quarter by kicker
Jeff Reed making a 39-yard field goal. The Cardinals narrowed the lead as quarterback
John Skelton completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald, but fell further behind after Smith completed a 59-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Vernon Davis, followed by running back
Brian Westbrook running 6 yards to the endzone for a touchdown twice in succession. Arizona's offense continued to have problems as
Richard Bartel's pass was intercepted by cornerback
Tarell Brown and returned 62 yards for a touchdown. With the loss, the Cardinals finished with a 5–11 record. ==Notes and references==