Glendale LVII: Cardinals showed they're not Super Bowl-ready

Jessica Boehm

Photo: Courtesy of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee

State leaders are working in overdrive to make sure the best of Arizona is on full display when thousands of visitors descend upon the Valley for Super Bowl LVII — but there's one thing they can't seem to get game-day ready: the Arizona Cardinals.

Catch up quick: The past two years, the teams from the cities hosting the big game won it. That hadn't happened in the previous 54 Super Bowls.

Arizona fans were hoping the Cards could make it three in a row come Feb. 12.

Yes, but: As is usually the case with Arizona teams, disappointment seems inevitable.

The team's star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Sunday's home opener was nothing short of embarrassing, with the Cardinals losing 44-21 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
FiveThirtyEight gives the Cards 1% odds of winning the Super Bowl.

Flashback: The previous three years Arizona hosted the Super Bowl weren't particularly good for the home team.

1995: The 1994 Cards never even got a whiff of playoff contention, losing five of their first six games and ending the season with a 4-12 record.
2008: The team fared a bit better in the 2007 season with an 8-8 record but didn't make it to the playoffs

2015: There was some hope as the 2014 Cards went 11-5 and made it to the playoffs, but they lost to the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round.

What's next: Cardinals or not, we're committed to keeping you updated on all things Super Bowl.

Each Tuesday we'll have a new look at how the Valley is getting ready for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Add Axios on Google

Glendale LVII: Cardinals showed they're not Super Bowl-ready

More Phoenix stories