With just four weeks left in the 2024 NFL regular season, will any teams on the outside looking in be able to make a late run? The Arizona Cardinals’ playoff scenarios show that, with a bit of help, QB Kyler Murray and Co. could be that team.
Let’s see whether the Cardinals can make the playoffs and still have a chance to win the NFC West title after their Week 15 victor over the New England Patriots.
Arizona Cardinals’ Playoff Scenarios | Week 15 Update
NFC Scores in Week 15 Relevant to Playoff Race
- Rams defeated 49ers, 12-6
- Commanders defeated Saints, 20-19
- Cowboys defeated Panthers, 30-14
- Buccaneers defeated Chargers, 40-17
- Cardinals defeated Patriots, 30-17
- Bills defeated Lions, 48-42
- Eagles defeated Steelers, 27-13
- Packers defeated Seahawks, 30-13
- Vikings defeated Bears, 30-12
- Falcons defeated Raiders, 15-9
According to PFN’s Playoff Predictor, the Cardinals now have a 23.1% chance to make the playoffs and a 17.9% chance to win the NFC West.
Arizona’s situation is interesting because they can win the NFC West, get into the playoffs as a Wild Card team, or miss the postseason completely.
The good news for the Cardinals is that, while they may have to win a few games, they have the second-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL. They travel to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 16 before ending the season with back-to-back divisional games in Los Angeles and at home against San Francisco.
The bad news is that Arizona has yet to record a win after riding a four-game winning streak into its Week 11 bye, helping boost Seattle’s hold on the NFC West bolstered by two losses to the Seahawks during the Cards’ three-game losing streak.
Murray and the offense have shown they can compete — they just need more plays from the start of the Week 14 loss than the end of it.
The Cardinals’ playoff hopes require wins in Weeks 15 and 16 to stay alive. They have one of those out of the way against the Patriots. If they lose to the Panthers in Week 16, that would likely end Arizona’s playoff aspirations without massive outside help.
Should the Cardinals make it to Week 17 unscathed, they will likely be fighting their divisional rivals for either the final Wild Card slot or the opportunity to be crowned NFC West champions. But is there still a path to the top for the Cardinals?
Can the Cardinals Still Win the NFC West?
Yes, every team in the NFC West is still alive for the top spot in the division.
The Seahawks lost to the Packers in Week 15, and as a result, are now on the outside looking in with the Rams sitting in first place. Seattle will host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 before heading to Soldier Field to take on the Bears in Week 17 with a season-ending bout in SoFi Stadium against the Rams to boot.
While the Cardinals could be primed to take advantage of a stumbling Seahawks squad down the stretch, the Rams sit just ahead of them, ready to swoop in with a 46.1% chance to win the division and the 15th-hardest remaining strength of schedule in the league.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Cardinals to run the table, especially with how the team has looked as the season has progressed, paired with the easy schedule. However, they’ll need the Rams to drop a couple, along with the Seahawks. It might be a bit too much to ask, but crazier things have happened.
If it is not the division, then their next best chance is the bundled Wild Card spot. PFN’s Playoff Predictor currently gives them a 4.9% chance at the seventh seed but they are competing with the 9-5 Washington Commanders and 8-6 Seattle Seahawks.
Head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff picture and the current NFL postseason bracket.
