The Arizona Cardinals appeared destined to reach the postseason after going into their Week 11 Bye with a 6-4 record. But after losing four of their last five games down the stretch of the season, they have been eliminated from postseason contention, which head coach Jonathan Gannon has taken the entirety of the responsibility for.
A Week 16 loss against a Carolina Panthers team that came into the game with just three wins ultimately sealed the Cardinals’ fate, leading to the organization’s third straight season missing out on the postseason.
It also marks the second year under Gannon where the team hasn’t reached the postseason, which Gannon was quite upset about when discussing it with reporters on Monday.
“I’m not satisfied with the performance of the team, and that starts with me,” Gannon told reporters, which was later transcribed by Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “So, what I’m really saying, that’s an indictment on myself. I’m not satisfied with myself.”
Obviously, some blame should perhaps be given to other members and players within the organization.
Notably, Kyler Murray has turned the ball over six times in the team’s last five games, which obviously isn’t good enough if you want to compete for a postseason.
Regardless, it is admirable for Gannon to take the lion’s share of the blame here. At the end of the day, the team’s performance is a direct reflection of his abilities as a head coach.
It also begs the question as to whether Gannon will be back next season. Over the two years that he has been head coach of the Cardinals, the organization has just an 11-21 record.
While missing out on the postseason is a huge disappointment given their early-season success, Gannon did detail how he is excited to potentially play spoiler in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams.
“It’s obviously not the outcome we wanted that we’re not going to be playing in mid-January, but I’m excited for these two opportunities,” Gannon added. “One on the road versus a playoff team and then a team that’s been winning our division for a long time.”
[ESPN]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.