This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
This was immediately followed by a 5-1 stretch in which the Cardinals got to 6-4 and first place in the NFC West. At this point, expectations for the team were amended in the eyes of fans and the sports media world and the playoffs were a legitimate possibility, an amazing win for Gannon and his coaching staff in just their second year.