Wikipedia

2021 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2021 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 102nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 34th in Arizona and their third under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. They improved from their 8–8 season from the previous year with a 23–13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. The Cardinals started 7–0 for the first time in 47 years when they were based in St. Louis. With their week 11 win over their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, the Cardinals improved on their record from the previous year and clinched their first winning season since 2015. Despite a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, the Cardinals clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2015 after the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams.

2021 Arizona Cardinals season
OwnerMichael Bidwill
General managerSteve Keim
Head coachKliff Kingsbury[a]
Home fieldState Farm Stadium
Results
Record11–6
Division place2nd NFC West
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Rams) 11–34
Pro Bowlers
5
AP All-ProsSS Budda Baker (2nd team)
Uniform

Despite an impressive 7–0 start and acquiring All-Pros J. J. Watt and A. J. Green prior to the season starting, the team suffered their second consecutive late-season collapse, only winning four out of their last ten games, resulting in them losing their lead in the division and dropping to the fifth seed. In the Wild Card playoffs, the Cardinals fell to the rival Los Angeles Rams on their way to win Super Bowl LVI.

In the offseason, cornerback Patrick Peterson left in free agency after 10 years, and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald chose not to sign with any team after 17 years with the franchise.[1]

Roster changes

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Position Player Tag 2021 team Contract
TE Dan Arnold UFA Carolina Panthers 2–year
S Chris Banjo UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
OT Kelvin Beachum UFA Arizona Cardinals 2–year
DE Angelo Blackson UFA Chicago Bears 2–year
LB De'Vondre Campbell UFA Green Bay Packers 1–year
TE Darrell Daniels UFA Arizona Cardinals 1-year
TE Seth DeValve UFA N/A N/A
RB Kenyan Drake UFA Las Vegas Raiders 2–year
LB Kylie Fitts ERFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
WR Larry Fitzgerald UFA N/A N/A
RB D. J. Foster UFA N/A N/A
OG Max Garcia UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
LB Dennis Gardeck RFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
LB Markus Golden UFA Arizona Cardinals 2–year
QB Brett Hundley UFA Indianapolis Colts 1–year
LB Isaiah Irving UFA N/A N/A
CB Johnathan Joseph UFA N/A N/A
CB Dre Kirkpatrick UFA San Francisco 49ers 1–year
P Andy Lee UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
K Mike Nugent UFA N/A N/A
DT Domata Peko UFA N/A N/A
DT Corey Peters UFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
CB Patrick Peterson UFA Minnesota Vikings 1–year
CB Kevin Peterson UFA N/A N/A
LB Haason Reddick UFA Carolina Panthers 1–year
WR Trent Sherfield UFA San Francisco 49ers 1–year
OG J.R. Sweezy UFA N/A N/A
LB Ezekiel Turner RFA Arizona Cardinals 1–year
LB Tanner Vallejo UFA Arizona Cardinals 2–year
S Charles Washington UFA Arizona Cardinals 1-year
Player re-signed by the Cardinals Player not re-signed by the Cardinals

Signings

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Position Player Tag 2020 team Date signed Contract
WR A. J. Green UFA Cincinnati Bengals March 17 1–year, $8.5 million
K Matt Prater UFA Detroit Lions March 17 2–year, $6.5 million
DE J. J. Watt UFA Houston Texans March 17 2–year, $28 million
OG Brian Winters UFA Buffalo Bills March 22 1–year, $1 million
CB Malcolm Butler UFA Tennessee Titans March 25 1–year, $6 million
S Shawn Williams UFA Cincinnati Bengals March 29 1–year
QB Colt McCoy UFA New York Giants March 30 1–year
RB James Conner UFA Pittsburgh Steelers April 13 1-year

Trades

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Draft

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Main article: 2021 NFL draft
2021 Arizona Cardinals Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 16 Zaven Collins LB Tulsa
2 49 Rondale Moore WR Purdue
4 136 Marco Wilson CB Florida from Kansas City via Baltimore
6 210 Victor Dimukeje DE Duke from Baltimore
223 Tay Gowan CB UCF from Minnesota via trade for Mason Cole
7 243 James Wiggins S Cincinnati
247 Michal Menet C Penn State from Chicago via Las Vegas
Notes

Staff

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2021 Arizona Cardinals staff

Front office

  • Owner – Michael Bidwill
  • Chairman/president – Michael Bidwill
  • General manager – Steve Keim
  • Vice president of player personnel – Quentin Harris
  • Vice president of pro scouting – Adrian Wilson
  • Vice president of football operations & facilities – Matt Caracciolo
  • Director of player personnel – Dru Grigson
  • Director of college scouting – Chris Culmer
  • Director of football administration – Matt Harriss

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Assistant special teams – Devin Fitzsimmons

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Buddy Morris
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Mark Naylor


Final roster

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2021 Arizona Cardinals roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 7 reserve, 16 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Preseason

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The Cardinals' preseason schedule was announced on May 12.[8]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 13 Dallas Cowboys W 19–16 1–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
2 August 20 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–17 1–1 State Farm Stadium Recap
3 August 28 at New Orleans Saints Cancelled due to Hurricane Ida[9]

Regular season

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Schedule

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The Cardinals' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.[8]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 at Tennessee Titans W 38–13 1–0 Nissan Stadium Recap
2 September 19 Minnesota Vikings W 34–33 2–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
3 September 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 31–19 3–0 TIAA Bank Field Recap
4 October 3 at Los Angeles Rams W 37–20 4–0 SoFi Stadium Recap
5 October 10 San Francisco 49ers W 17–10 5–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
6 October 17 at Cleveland Browns W 37–14 6–0 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
7 October 24 Houston Texans W 31−5 7–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
8 October 28 Green Bay Packers L 21–24 7–1 State Farm Stadium Recap
9 November 7 at San Francisco 49ers W 31–17 8–1 Levi's Stadium Recap
10 November 14 Carolina Panthers L 10–34 8–2 State Farm Stadium Recap
11 November 21 at Seattle Seahawks W 23–13 9–2 Lumen Field Recap
12 Bye
13 December 5 at Chicago Bears W 33–22 10–2 Soldier Field Recap
14 December 13 Los Angeles Rams L 23–30 10–3 State Farm Stadium Recap
15 December 19 at Detroit Lions L 12–30 10–4 Ford Field Recap
16 December 25 Indianapolis Colts L 16–22 10–5 State Farm Stadium Recap
17 January 2 at Dallas Cowboys W 25–22 11–5 AT&T Stadium Recap
18 January 9 Seattle Seahawks L 30–38 11–6 State Farm Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Tennessee Titans

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Week 1: Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 10 14 14038
Titans 0 6 7013

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings

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Week 2: Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 14 9 7333
Cardinals 7 17 7334

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 3: Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 0 17731
Jaguars 0 13 6019

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: September 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/10:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 58,012
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib and Megan Olivi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Cardinals earned their first 3–0 start since 2015.

Week 4: at Los Angeles Rams

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Week 4: Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 17 10337
Rams 10 3 0720

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

With the win, the Cardinals not only improved to 4–0 for the first time since 2012, but earned their first victory over the Rams since Week 17 of the 2016 season. Also, with the Broncos, the Raiders, and the Panthers losing their first games of the season, the Cardinals became the last undefeated team in the NFL.

Week 5: vs. San Francisco 49ers

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Week 5: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 0 7310
Cardinals 7 3 0717

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 6: at Cleveland Browns

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Week 6: Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 16 7737
Browns 0 14 0014

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,431
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Cardinals started 6–0 for the first time since 1974.

Week 7: vs. Houston Texans

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Week 7: Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 2 3 005
Cardinals 0 17 7731

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

The Arizona Cardinals played the Houston Texans at home. This was the first game where former Texans DeAndre Hopkins and JJ Watt played against their former team, as well as tight end Zach Ertz's debut with the Cardinals.

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week 8: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 7724
Cardinals 7 0 7721

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

The Packers handed the Cardinals their first loss to deny them a perfect season with a 24–21 victory on Thursday Night Football, despite entering the game without their top three wide receivers—Allen Lazard and All-Pro WR Davante Adams missed the game due to COVID protocols, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling was still recovering from a groin injury suffered in Week 3. Kyler Murray had the ball with time winding down, and the ball in field goal range, but a pass intended for wide receiver A. J. Green was picked off in the endzone by Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas, who began the season on the Cardinals practice squad.

Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers

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Week 9: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 14 3 14031
49ers 0 7 7317

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Scattered clouds, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 59,012
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Despite Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins not playing, the Cardinals dominated the game to sweep the season series for the first time since 2018. With the win, the Cardinals improved to 8–1 and tied their 8-win mark from the previous season.

Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers

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Week 10: Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Panthers 17 6 8334
Cardinals 0 0 3710

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week 11: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 6 3723
Seahawks 0 6 0713

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 45 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,833
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With this win the Cardinals improved to 9-2 and secured their first winning season since 2015.

Week 13: at Chicago Bears

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Week 13: Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 14 7 3933
Bears 0 7 7822

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins returned to the field after the bye and connected for a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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Week 14: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 13 14330
Cardinals 3 10 01023

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 15: at Detroit Lions

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Week 15: Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 0 6612
Lions 3 14 7630

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 45,211
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib and Megan Olivi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Despite the Cardinals being the favorite to win, the 1-11-1 Detroit Lions blew them out 30-12 in an unexpected loss.

The Lions opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 37-yard field goal by Riley Patterson. The Lions scored 14 points in the second quarter via a 37-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown and a 22-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Josh Reynolds, which made the score 17–0 in favor of Detroit at half-time. The Cardinals finally got on the board in the third quarter via a 29-yard field goal by Matt Prater. The Lions extended their lead via a six-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Jason Cabinda. The Cardinals responded with a 29-yard field goal by Prater. The Lions extended their lead in the fourth quarter via a 47-yard field goal by Patterson. The Cardinals responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to Christian Kirk. The Lions scored the final points of the game via a 45-yard field goal by Patterson, making the final score 30–12 in favor of Detroit.

With the loss, Arizona fell to 10-4, marking their only road game loss in 2021.

Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts

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NFL on Christmas Day

Week 16: Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 5 3722
Cardinals 6 0 7316

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 17: at Dallas Cowboys

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Week 17: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 10 9325
Cowboys 0 7 01522

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST/2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,459
  • Referee: Scott Novak
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the win, the Cardinals finished a league-best 8–1 on the road.

Week 18: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Week 18: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 10 71438
Cardinals 7 3 14630

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: January 9
  • Game time: 2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 63,858
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the loss, the Cardinals finished the season 11–6, earning a Wildcard spot in the 2021–22 NFL playoffs as the 5th seed.

Standings

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Division

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NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Los Angeles Rams 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 460 372 L1
(5) Arizona Cardinals 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 449 366 L1
(6) San Francisco 49ers 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 427 365 W2
Seattle Seahawks 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 395 366 W2

Conference

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NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[b] Green Bay Packers North 13 4 0 .765 4–2 9–3 .479 .480 L1
2[b] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 13 4 0 .765 4–2 8–4 .467 .443 W3
3[c] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 6–0 10–2 .488 .431 W1
4[c] Los Angeles Rams West 12 5 0 .706 3–3 8–4 .483 .409 L1
Wild cards
5 Arizona Cardinals West 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .490 .492 L1
6 San Francisco 49ers West 10 7 0 .588 2–4 7–5 .500 .438 W2
7[d] Philadelphia Eagles East 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .469 .350 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[d] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .512 .516 W2
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 9 0 .471 4–2 6–6 .507 .434 W1
10[e] Washington Football Team East 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .529 .420 W1
11[e][f] Seattle Seahawks West 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .519 .424 W2
12[e][f] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 2–4 4–8 .472 .315 L2
13 Chicago Bears North 6 11 0 .353 2–4 4–8 .524 .373 L1
14 Carolina Panthers South 5 12 0 .294 2–4 3–9 .509 .412 L7
15 New York Giants East 4 13 0 .235 1–5 3–9 .536 .485 L6
16 Detroit Lions North 3 13 1 .206 2–4 3–9 .528 .627 W1
Tiebreakers[g]
  1. ^ Vance Joseph and Jeff Rodgers (Interim HCs for Week 6 after Kingsbury tested positive for COVID-19)
  2. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on conference record (9–3 vs. 8–4).
  3. ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of LA Rams based on conference record (10–2 vs. 8–4).
  4. ^ a b Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b c Washington finished ahead of Atlanta and Seattle based on head-to-head victories.
  6. ^ a b Seattle finished ahead of Atlanta based on win percentage in common games (4–2 vs. 3–3 against: San Francisco, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Washington, and Detroit).
  7. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

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See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 17 at Los Angeles Rams (4) L 11–34 0–1 SoFi Stadium Recap

Game summaries

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NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Los Angeles Rams

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NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Arizona Cardinals at (4) Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 0 8311
Rams 7 14 7634

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

Statistics

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Further information: National Football League records

Team

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Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 4,276 251.5 10th
Rushing offense 2,076 122.1 10th
Total offense 6,352 373.6 8th
Passing defense 2,771 163.0 7th
Rushing defense 1,952 114.8 20th
Total defense 5,597 329.2 11th

Individual

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Category Player Total yards
Offense
Passing Kyler Murray 3,787
Rushing James Conner 752
Receiving Christian Kirk 982
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Jalen Thompson 79
Sacks Markus Golden 11
Interceptions Byron Murphy 4

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ Peters, Craig (March 22, 2021). "Vikings Altered Plans on the Fly to Land Patrick Peterson". Vikings.com.
  2. ^ Urban, Darren (March 17, 2021). "Cardinals Make Trade For 3-Time Pro Bowl Center Rodney Hudson". azcardinals.com.
  3. ^ "Vikings Acquire OL Mason Cole in Trade with Cardinals". www.vikings.com. March 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Transactions: Cardinals agree to trade CB TAY GOWAN and 2022 fifth-round pick to Philadelphia Eagles for TE ZACH ERTZ". October 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "Cardinals Make Trade For 3-Time Pro Bowl Center Rodney Hudson". azcardinals.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Cox, Seth (March 20, 2020). "Arizona Cardinals officially announce trade for DeAndre Hopkins". SBnation.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Giants trade Markus Golden to Cardinals for 2021 draft pick". Giants.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Urban, Darren (May 12, 2021). "Cardinals Release Official 2021 Schedule". Arizona Cardinals. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "New Orleans Saints cancel preseason game vs. Arizona Cardinals as Hurricane Ida looms". ESPN.com.
  10. ^ "2021 NFL Team Total Statistics". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Cardinals Stats". Arizona Cardinals. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
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