2016 Arizona Cardinals season

Last updated

2016 Arizona Cardinals season
Owner Bill Bidwill
General manager Steve Keim
Head coach Bruce Arians
Home stadium University of Phoenix Stadium
Results
Record7–8–1
Division place2nd NFC West
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
All-Pros
3
Uniform
Arizona Cardinals Uniforms 2010-2016.png

The 2016 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 97th in the National Football League (NFL), their 118th overall, their 29th in Arizona, their 11th at University of Phoenix Stadium and their fourth under head coach Bruce Arians.

Contents

In free agency, they signed veteran defensive back Tyvon Branch and veteran lineman Evan Mathis, while re-signing several key players. They traded for Chandler Jones from the New England Patriots, sending Jonathan Cooper and a late second-round pick to New England.

The Cardinals came into the 2016 season with expectations of improving on their 2015 campaign and reaching the Super Bowl. However, after a 1–3 start, they suffered injuries to quarterback Carson Palmer and most of the offensive line. On October 23, the Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks played out a 6–6 tie; this was the Cardinals' first tie since 1986 when they were the St. Louis Cardinals. It was also the lowest-scoring NFL tie since overtime was introduced in 1974. The Cardinals were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2013 in Week 15 after a loss to the New Orleans Saints. Despite winning their final two games, the Cardinals ended the season with a losing record at 7–8–1. Because the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series, their first title in 108 years, the Cardinals also finished the season with the longest active championship drought in the four major American professional sports, with their last championship in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals.

Free agents

PositionPlayerTag2016 TeamNotes
WR Jaron Brown RFAARIone-year deal
TE Jermaine Gresham UFAARIone-year deal
TE Darren Fells UFAARIone-year deal
TE Ifeanyi Momah ERFAARIone-year deal
QB Drew Stanton UFAARItwo-year deal
RB Chris Johnson RFAARIone-year deal
P Drew Butler UFAARItwo-year deal
LS Mike Leach UFA---retired
G Ted Larsen UFACHIone-year deal
C Lyle Sendlein UFA---retired
T Bobby Massie UFACHIthree-year deal
T Kelvin Palmer UFATBone-year deal
T Bradley Sowell UFASEAone-year deal
S Tony Jefferson RFAARIone-year deal
S D. J. Swearinger RFAARIone-year deal
S Rashad Johnson UFATENone-year deal
S Chris Clemons UFAARIone-year deal
CB Jerraud Powers UFABALone-year deal
CB Corey White UFABUFone-year deal
DE Billy Winn RFADENone-year deal
ILB Sean Weatherspoon UFAATLone-year deal
ILB Kenny Demens ERFAARIone-year deal
OLB LaMarr Woodley UFATBA
OLB Dwight Freeney UFAATLone-year deal
DE Josh Mauro ERFAARIone-year deal
DE Red Bryant UFAARIone-year deal
Player re-signed by the Cardinals

Draft

2016 Arizona Cardinals Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
1 29 Robert Nkemdiche DE Ole Miss
392 Brandon Williams CB Texas A&M
4128 Evan Boehm C Missouri
5167 Marqui Christian S Midwestern State
5170 Cole Toner OT Harvard
6205 Harlan Miller CB Southeastern Louisiana

Notes

Staff

2016 Arizona Cardinals staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2016 Arizona Cardinals roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 17 reserve, 10 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 12 Oakland Raiders L 10–310–1 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
2August 19at San Diego Chargers L 3–190–2 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
3August 28at Houston Texans L 24–340–3 NRG Stadium Recap
4September 1 Denver Broncos W 38–171–3University of Phoenix Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 11 New England Patriots L 21–230–1 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
2September 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 40–71–1University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
3September 25at Buffalo Bills L 18–331–2 New Era Field Recap
4October 2 Los Angeles Rams L 13–171–3University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
5October 6at San Francisco 49ers W 33–212–3 Levi's Stadium Recap
6October 17 New York Jets W 28–33–3University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
7October 23 Seattle Seahawks T 6–6 (OT)3–3–1University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
8October 30at Carolina Panthers L 20–303–4–1 Bank of America Stadium Recap
9 Bye
10November 13 San Francisco 49ers W 23–204–4–1University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
11November 20at Minnesota Vikings L 24–304–5–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
12November 27at Atlanta Falcons L 19–384–6–1 Georgia Dome Recap
13December 4 Washington Redskins W 31–235–6–1University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
14December 11at Miami Dolphins L 23–265–7–1 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
15December 18 New Orleans Saints L 41–485–8–1University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
16December 24at Seattle Seahawks W 34–316–8–1 CenturyLink Field Recap
17January 1at Los Angeles Rams W 44–67–8–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New England Patriots

Week One: New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Patriots1007623
Cardinals077721

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

With Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suspended and Jimmy Garoppolo starting, the Cardinals were huge favorites to win. The game was close, but was lost last minute, with a missed game-winning Cardinals field goal. [1]

Week 2: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Two: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Buccaneers00707
Cardinals0249740

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 3: at Buffalo Bills

Week Three: Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals076518
Bills10713333

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week Four: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Rams730717
Cardinals0103013

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

Week Five: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals07141233
49ers077721

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

Week 6: vs. New York Jets

Week Six: New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jets03003
Cardinals777728

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

This was the Cardinals' first win over the Jets since 1975, when the Cardinals were based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Week 7: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Seven: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Seahawks000336
Cardinals030036

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 5:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 65,089
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Cardinals placekicker Chandler Catanzaro and Seahawks placekicker Steven Hauschka each miss game winning field goals as the game finishes in a 6-6 tie and the Cardinals earn their first tie since the 1986 season.

Week 8: at Carolina Panthers

Week Eight: Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals077620
Panthers14106030

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 10:00 a.m.
  • Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 74,088
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In a rematch of the NFC championship, the Panthers led by as much as 24 points until Arizona ended the game by cutting the lead to 10.

Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Ten: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
49ers0103720
Cardinals7130323

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Eleven: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals7100724
Vikings71310030

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Twelve: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals760619
Falcons71071438

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins

Week Thirteen: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins0614323
Cardinals7371431

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 2:25 pm. MST
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), sunny - retractable roof open
  • Game attendance: 64,939
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 14: at Miami Dolphins

Week Fourteen: Arizona Cardinals at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals6301423
Dolphins777526

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 11:00 am. MST
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 65,750
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

This was the Cardinals' first loss to the Dolphins since 1999.

Week 15: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Fifteen: New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Saints101432148
Cardinals71371441

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 2:05 pm. MST
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), sunny - retractable roof open
  • Game attendance: 65,072
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the close loss, the Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Sixteen: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals7702034
Seahawks0372131

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 2:25 pm. MST
  • Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 69,050
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 17: at Los Angeles Rams

Week Seventeen: Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals313141444
Rams06006

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 2:25 pm. MST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 80,729
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Despite losing running back David Johnson to a knee injury in the first quarter, Arizona still managed to blow out the Rams, 44-6 to finish the year at 7-8-1.

Standings

Division

NFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(3) Seattle Seahawks 1051.6563–2–16–5–1354292W1
Arizona Cardinals 781.4694–1–16–5–1418362W2
Los Angeles Rams 4120.2502–43–9224394L7
San Francisco 49ers 2140.1252–42–10309480L1

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division leaders
1 Dallas Cowboys East1330.8133–39–3.471.440L1
2 Atlanta Falcons South1150.6885–19–3.480.452W4
3 Seattle Seahawks West1051.6563–2–16–5–1.441.425W1
4 Green Bay Packers North1060.6255–18–4.508.453W6
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East1150.6884–28–4.486.455W1
6 [a] Detroit Lions North970.5633–37–5.475.392L3
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 [a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South970.5634–27–5.492.434W1
8 Washington Redskins East871.5313–36–6.516.430L1
9 Minnesota Vikings North880.5002–45–7.492.457W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West781.4694–1–16–5–1.463.366W2
11 [b] New Orleans Saints South790.4382–46–6.523.393L1
12 [b] Philadelphia Eagles East790.4382–45–7.559.518W2
13 Carolina Panthers South6100.3751–55–7.518.354L2
14 Los Angeles Rams West4120.2502–43–9.504.500L7
15 Chicago Bears North3130.1882–43–9.521.396L4
16 San Francisco 49ers West2140.1252–42–10.504.250L1
Tiebreakers [c]
  1. 1 2 Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents—Detroit's cumulative record against Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3–2, while Tampa Bay's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. 1 2 New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.
  3. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

References

  1. "Jimmy Garoppolo leads Patriots past Cardinals 23-21". NFL.com. September 11, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2024.