- May 21, 2026
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The NFC West won more games than any other division in the NFL last season, but the Cardinals didn't do much to contribute to the effort.
Arizona went 3-14 while the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers each won at least 12 games while advancing to at least the divisional round of the playoffs. The Seahawks beat the Rams in the NFC title game before winning the Super Bowl, so it wasn't just regular season success for the division.
The Seahawks have most of their core players back while the 49ers hope to be healthier and the Rams have loaded up for another run by trading for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie this offseason. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have a new head coach in Mike LaFleur, an uncertain quarterback situation and low expectations to make a move up the standings in 2026.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson said he loves the chance "to go against the best every week" and that he sees it as a chance to upset those expectations.
"I think we got a good opportunity in front of us to surprise a lot of people this year," Johnson said. "They're just continuing to try to stack the teams against us, but we gonna be ready when the time comes."
Johnson credited LaFleur with doing a good job of establishing a new culture around the Cardinals and the hope is that leads to improvement on the field even if the overall circumstances mean that they might have the same view of the rest of the division come the end of the year.
Arizona went 3-14 while the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers each won at least 12 games while advancing to at least the divisional round of the playoffs. The Seahawks beat the Rams in the NFC title game before winning the Super Bowl, so it wasn't just regular season success for the division.
The Seahawks have most of their core players back while the 49ers hope to be healthier and the Rams have loaded up for another run by trading for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie this offseason. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have a new head coach in Mike LaFleur, an uncertain quarterback situation and low expectations to make a move up the standings in 2026.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson said he loves the chance "to go against the best every week" and that he sees it as a chance to upset those expectations.
"I think we got a good opportunity in front of us to surprise a lot of people this year," Johnson said. "They're just continuing to try to stack the teams against us, but we gonna be ready when the time comes."
Johnson credited LaFleur with doing a good job of establishing a new culture around the Cardinals and the hope is that leads to improvement on the field even if the overall circumstances mean that they might have the same view of the rest of the division come the end of the year.