A second consecutive season has ended in collapse for the Arizona Cardinals.
With that comes a glaring question. Are head coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray the tandem to lead the long-suffering franchise to Super Bowl contention?
Through nine games in 2021, the answer was a strong lean yes. The Cardinals were on the fast track in Murray's and Kingsbury's third seasons amid an 8-1 start that had them poised to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Playing in the NFL's most competitive division, they'd already swept the San Francisco 49ers and blown the doors off the Los Angeles Rams on the road.