Since their Week 11 bye, the Cardinals have suffered a trio of losses that have been tough to swallow, arguably none more difficult than Sunday’s 30-18 loss to the Seahawks.
Yet there was a silver lining sprinkled in that embodies the culture coach Jonathan Gannon has hoped to instill since his arrival.
“The best part about it, I guess to say if there is, is that we’re going through this together,” defensive lineman Roy Lopez said Monday. “We continue to lean on one another and it’s full throttle ahead.”
With the defeat, the path to playing football beyond the regular season becomes more challenging. A game below .500, the Cardinals now sit in third place in the NFC West and because of the Seattle sweep, they’re essentially three games behind the first-place Seahawks. There are but four games left on the schedule.
However, the season is not over, and the NFL is known as an any given Sunday league for a reason. The Seahawks are scheduled to play the Vikings and Packers, while the Cardinals’ next four opponents are the Patriots, Panthers, Rams, and 49ers.
A lot could change between now and the regular season finale, which has given Lopez a dose of optimism — and regardless, how the Cardinals play down the stretch will always be meaningful.
“When you get into this level of football, respect is a lot. Respect is earned,” Lopez said. “You get your reputation through your reps, and you are what you put on tape.”
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