The 2020 NFL season was hopeful, promising and then disappointing for the Arizona Cardinals. They entered the year as a team hoping to take the next step and compete for a playoff berth. They did, jumping out to a 5-2 record and then stumbling to an 8-8 finish, missing the postseason by a game.
They earned a well-deserved C for the season, in Barry Werner’s final grades for each NFL team.
Kliff Kingsbury matched the most wins in his coaching career with eight. The last time he did that was in his first season at Texas Tech. Not exactly a high bar. He has proven to be mediocre, at best, and that has to be a concern in the desert. Grade: C
They finished at .500, something they hadn’t done since 2017. They had great moments but also lost their final two games to backup quarterbacks in division games and lost games to the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers, all of whom finished with sub-.500 records.
Kyler Murray was fantastic. The offense was great overall but sputtered a bit at the end.
The Cardinals were the epitome of a student with great potential who just couldn’t get out of his own way to be great and finishes with a mediocre grade.
They made progress but, in the end, left fans hoping for more.
The bar has been raised and the pressure will be on Kingsbury to make the postseason in 2021.
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