Super Bowl XLIII Appearance

Lore & Background

The Cardinals began their season by compiling a 7–3 record by Week 11. Although they went 2–4 the rest of the way, Arizona still finished with a 9–7 record (their first winning season in 10 years), which was good enough to win the NFC West. The Cardinals also swept their division for the first time in franchise history, and for the first time since 1947, hosted a playoff game. In that wild card game, the Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Falcons. The next week, for the Divisional round of the playoffs, the Cardinals traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they upset the number 2 seeded Carolina Panthers. Then, because the Philadelphia Eagles also achieved an upset the same week (against the top-seeded New York Giants), the number-four seed Cardinals hosted the NFC Championship game, where they defeated the Eagles and qualified for the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. In Super Bowl XLIII, the Cardinals' winning streak ended. Though they led the Pittsburgh Steelers with less than a minute left to play in the game, they lost, 27–23.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over the Tampa grass as the fourth quarter wound down. Warner wiped sweat from his brow, scanning the field where Fitzgerald stood ready near the sideline. The crowd roared, a mix of home energy and visiting hope, but the steel of Pittsburgh's defense remained unyielding in the end zone.

Reader's Guide

The 2008 Cardinals were the second 9–7 team to reach the Super Bowl, joining the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV, who also lost to the Steelers; however, the Rams had to win only two playoff games, rather than three, to reach the Super Bowl. Three years later in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants would become the first 9–7 team to win, overshadowing the Cardinals' achievement. In 2014, Athlon Sports ranked the 2008 Cardinals as the fourth-worst team to ever make the Super Bowl.

Did You Know?

• The Cardinals' slogan for the season was 'Shock The World!'
• Benefiting from franchise quarterback Kurt Warner, who had gone from being a backup for the St. Louis Rams in 1999, to leading the Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory, franchise strong safety Adrian Wilso
• Despite having won just three playoff games in the previous sixty years (1998 vs. Cowboys, 2008 vs. Falcons and Panthers), Warner once again led the team to their first winning record in 10 years, and the first franchise