The 2010 season was the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

' 91st in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and their 23rd in Arizona. The Cardinals failed to improve on their 10–6 record from

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, and were eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

in Week 15.

Offseason

Quarterback

Kurt Warner Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend fr ...

announced his retirement on January 29, 2010.

2010 NFL Draft

After finishing the season with a loss in the divisional round of the postseason, the Cardinals will pick 26th. The Cardinals will also have an additional third and fourth round pick from a trade that sent wide receiver

Anquan Boldin Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. (; born October 3, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State University and was drafted by the Arizona Ca ...

to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. Their fourth round pick was traded to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

for safety

Kerry Rhodes Kerry Rhodes (born August 2, 1982) is an American actor and former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and most recently played for the Arizona C ...

Staff and roster

Coaching staff

Final roster

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Standings

Regular season results

Week 1: at St. Louis Rams

The Cardinals began their season at the

Edward Jones Dome The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in Downtown St. Louis, downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and ...

for an NFC West match against the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

. The Cardinals scored first in the 2nd quarter with kicker

Jay Feely Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for sever ...

nailing a 22-yard field goal, which was replied by St. Louis when kicker Josh Brown made a 46-yard field goal. Arizona took the lead again with running back

Tim Hightower Timothy Michael Hightower (born May 23, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Richmond and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played f ...

making a 1-yard TD run, but failed to maintain it, with quarterback

Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...

making a 1-yard TD pass to wide receiver

Laurent Robinson Laurent Robinson (born May 20, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the thir ...

. In the third quarter, the Cardinals trailed for the first time when Brown nailed a 25-yard field goal, which they overcame in the fourth quarter when quarterback Derek Anderson made a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Larry Fitzgerald Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. Fitzgerald played in the National Football League for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at University of Pittsb ...

, giving Arizona a win. With the win, Arizona began the season at 1–0.

Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons

Hoping to maintain their current winning streak the Cardinals flew to

Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west, it was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center ...

for an NFC duel with the Falcons. In the first quarter Arizona trailed early as QB Matt Ryan completed a 7-yard TD pass to WR

Roddy White Sharod Lamor "Roddy" White (born November 2, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver who played his entire professional career with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at UAB, and was drafted by the Falcons in the first ro ...

, followed in the second quarter by kicker

Matt Bryant Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A ...

hitting a 24-yard field goal. Arizona would reply with RB

getting an 80-yard TD run, but fell further behind when Ryan threw a 19-yard TD pass to FB

Jason Snelling Jason Michael Snelling (born December 29, 1983) is a former American football running back. He played his entire career with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL ...

, followed by Snelling getting a 1-yard TD run. In the third quarter the Cardinals struggled further when Ryan completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR

Brian Finneran Brian Joseph Finneran (born January 31, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1998 and also played for the Barcelona Dragons, Phila ...

, followed by Bryan nailing a 35-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter Arizona continued to struggle with FB

getting a 7-yard TD run. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders

The Cardinals' third game was an Interconference duel with the Raiders. The Cardinals led early in the first quarter when RB

LaRod Stephens-Howling LaRod Stephens-Howling (born April 26, 1987) is a former American football running back and kickoff returner. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh. He was als ...

returned a kickoff from his own goal line to the endzone running 102 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders replied and took the lead with QB

Bruce Gradkowski Bruce Raymond Gradkowski (born January 27, 1983) is a former American football quarterback and current offensive coordinator for the St. Louis BattleHawks. He played college football at Toledo. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the ...

completing a 22-yard touchdown pass to TE

Zach Miller Zach Miller may refer to: *Zach Miller (tight end, born 1984), NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears *Zach Miller (tight end, born 1985) Zachary Joseph Miller (born December 11, 1985) is a former ...

, followed by kicker

Sebastian Janikowski Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...

making a 22-yard field goal. Arizona replied with kicker

kicking a 42-yard field goal. Then the Raiders replied with Janikowski making a 54-yard field goal. The Cardinals took the lead in the 2nd quarter when QB Derek Anderson made a 2-yard TD pass to WR

Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston (born August 20, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. Breaston also played for the K ...

, but it didn't last very long after RB

Darren McFadden Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...

got a 2-yard TD run. Arizona got the lead back in the 3rd quarter when Anderson found WR

on an 8-yard TD pass. In the 4th quarter Oakland cut the lead when Janikowski made a 23-yard field goal. Janikowski missed three field goals in the game, giving Arizona the win. With the close win, Arizona improved to 2–1.

Week 4: at San Diego Chargers

Hoping to increase their winning streak the Cardinals flew to

Qualcomm Stadium San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 to 2017, the stadiu ...

for an interconference duel with the Chargers. In the 1st quarter the Cardinals trailed early as QB

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was sele ...

completed a 33-yard TD pass to TE

Antonio Gates Antonio Ethan Gates Sr. (born June 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers during his entire career in the National Football League (NFL). He was named to the Pro ...

, but they replied in the 2nd quarter when FS

recovered a fumble and ran 2 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. After that, the Cardinals fell further behind with FB

Mike Tolbert William Michael Tolbert (born November 23, 1985) is a former American football fullback. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football for Coastal Carolina University. He has also been a ...

making a 5-yard TD run, followed by Rivers making a 26-yard TD pass to TE

. The Cardinals had more problems when QB Derek Anderson's pass was intercepted by OLB

Shaun Phillips Shaun Jamal Phillips (born May 13, 1981) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for Purdue and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Phillips has also been a member of the ...

which converted into a 31-yard touchdown run. This was followed in the 3rd quarter by kicker

Nate Kaeding Nathaniel James Kaeding (born March 26, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers and retired after the ...

making a 48-yard field goal. Then RB Ryan Mathews got a 15-yard TD run. This was followed in the 4th quarter by Kaeding nailing a 47-yard field goal. The Cardinals tried to cut the lead, but only came away with kicker

's 53-yard field goal, which isn't enough for the win. With the loss, Arizona fell to 2–2.

Week 5: vs. New Orleans Saints

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Chargers the Cardinals played on home ground for an NFC duel with the Saints. In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as kicker John Carney nailed a 31-yard field goal, followed by QB

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...

completing a 1-yard TD pass to TE

Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Charles Shockey (born August 18, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The winner of the fir ...

. The Cardinals replied with kicker

making a 37-yard field goal, followed by OT Levi Brown recovering a fumble and returning it 2 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter the Cardinals replied and took the lead when Feely got a 44-yard field goal, followed the 4th quarter by Feely's 29-yard field goal. Then FS

recovered a fumble and ran 27 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The lead was broken down with Brees making a 35-yard TD pass to WR

Robert Meachem Robert Emery Meachem (born September 28, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Tennessee and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints 27th overall in the 2007 NFL draft. Meachem also played one season ...

, but the Cardinals managed to pull away when Brees' pass was intercepted by CB

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Dominique Reshard Rodgers-Cromartie (born April 7, 1986) is a former American football cornerback who played 11 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Tennessee State University, and was drafted by the Arizona ...

and returned 28 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. With the win, Arizona went into their bye week at 3–2.

Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks

Coming off their bye week the Cardinals flew to

Qwest Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, the ...

for an NFC West rivalry match against the Seahawks. In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as kicker

Olindo Mare Olindo Franco Mare (born June 6, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at MacMurray College and Syracuse Orange#Football, S ...

got a 20-yard field goal. Followed in the second quarter by QB

Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the sixth round ...

making a 2-yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams. The Cardinals fell further behind in the 3rd quarter with Mare nailing a 31 and a 51-yard field goal. The Cardinals replied with RB

Beanie Wells Christopher Michael Wells (born August 7, 1988), known as Chris Wells or Beanie Wells, is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round (31st overall pick) of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Ohi ...

getting a 2-yard TD run. The Seahawks continued to score with Mare hitting a 24-yard field goal, but the Cardinals responded in the fourth quarter with kicker

getting a 24-yard field goal. The Seahawks pulled away with Mare making a 26-yard field goal. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–3.

Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Cardinals' seventh game was an NFC duel with the Buccaneers at University of Phoenix Stadium. In the first quarter the Cardinals took the lead when QB

Max Hall Max Hall (born October 1, 1985) is a former American National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League quarterback. After playing college football for BYU, he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2010. Hal ...

made a 3-yard TD pass to WR

. The Buccaneers replied with OLB

Geno Hayes Eugene Antonio "Geno" Hayes (August 10, 1987 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Florida State Seminoles, he was sele ...

returning an interception 41 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals led again in the second quarter with RB

getting a 1-yard TD run, but the Buccaneers went on a scoring rally with QB

Josh Freeman Joshua Tyler Freeman (born January 13, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Kansas State University, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Freeman became th ...

making a 47-yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams, and CB

Aqib Talib Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at the University of Kansas, where he received consensus All-American honors, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first rou ...

returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. This was followed by kicker

Connor Barth Connor Thomas Barth (born April 11, 1986) is a former American football placekicker who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undraft ...

hitting a 21-yard field goal, and in the third quarter with RB

LeGarrette Blount LeGarrette Montez Blount (; born December 5, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Commun ...

getting a 15-yard TD run. The Cardinals also went on a rally to take the lead back with RB

making a 30-yard TD run, which was followed by ILB

Gerald Hayes Gerald Hayes (born October 10, 1980) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh. Early years Hayes played his high school ...

recovering a fumble and running 21 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. Then QB Derek Anderson found Fitzgerald on a 5-yard TD pass. The Buccaneers scored once more to take the win with Blount getting a 1-yard TD run. With the loss, Arizona recorded back to back losses for the first time since the 2008 season, and fell to 3–4.

Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings

Hoping to snap their current losing streak the Cardinals flew to

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...

for an NFC duel with the Vikings. In the second quarter the Cardinals trailed early as QB

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...

got a 12-yard TD pass to RB

Adrian Peterson Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...

. They immediately replied with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by RB

. The Vikings responded with kicker

Ryan Longwell Ryan Walker Longwell (born August 16, 1974Ryan Longwell
NFLPA.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.

nailing a 21-yard field goal. The Cardinals replied a took the lead with QB Derek Anderson completing a 30-yard TD pass to WR Andre Roberts. This was followed by DB Michael Adams returning a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown, and with kicker

making a 22-yard field goal. The lead was closed down by Peterson as he got a 4-yard TD run, and by QB

's 25-yard TD pass to TE

Visanthe Shiancoe Visanthe O. Shiancoe (; born June 18, 1980) is a British former American football tight end. After playing college football for Morgan State, he was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Giant ...

. After overtime the decision was made when Longwell successfully made a 35-yard field goal to give the Cardinals a loss, bringing their record down to 3–5.

Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals' ninth game was an NFC West rivalry re-match against the Seahawks. In the first quarter the Cardinals took the early lead as RB

got a 2-yard TD run. The Seahawks replied with RB

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...

getting a 1-yard TD run. The Cardinals trailed with kicker

getting a 41-yard field goal, but they answed back with kicker

nailing a 23-yard field goal. The Cardinals struggled further with QB

completing a 63-yard TD pass to WR Deon Butler. This was followed in the third quarter by a 34, 19 and 23-yard field goal from Mare. In the fourth quarter Mare got another 19-yard field goal to put the Seahawks up 29–10. The Cardinals responded with QB Derek Anderson making a 2-yard TD pass to WR

Early Doucet Early Joseph Doucet III (born October 28, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University. Early year ...

(With a successful 2-point conversion as Anderson found WR

), but the Seahawks put the game away with RB

Justin Forsett Justin Forsett (born October 14, 1985) is an American former football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft ...

getting a 4-yard TD run. With the loss, Arizona fell to 3–6.

Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs

Hoping to break their current losing streak the Cardinals flew to

Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stad ...

for an interconference duel with the Chiefs. The Cardinals scored with kicker

hitting a 36-yard field goal, but they fell behind with QB

Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots an ...

completing a 1-yard TD pass to WR

Dwayne Bowe Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...

. This was followed by RB Thomas Jones getting a 1 and a 3-yard TD run. The Cardinals responded with Feely making a 29-yard field goal, but they struggled further with kicker

Ryan Succop Ryan Barrow Succop ( "suck-up"; born September 19, 1986) is an American football placekicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Succop played college football at South Carolina and was the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant by ...

getting a 23-yard field goal, followed by Cassel throwing a 38-yard TD pass to Bowe. The Cardinals cut the lead with QB Derek Anderson completing a 3-yard TD pass to WR

. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–7.

Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Trying to snap a five-game losing streak, the Cardinals went home, donned their alternate uniforms again, and played a Week 12 NFC West duel with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

on Monday night. Arizona trailed early in the first quarter as 49ers quarterback

Troy Smith Troy James Smith (born July 20, 1984) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Ohio State, was recognized as an All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 2006. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fi ...

completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Michael Crabtree Michael Alex Crabtree Jr. (born September 14, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Texas Tech, where he was a two-time unanimous All-Am ...

. The Cardinals answered with a 31-yard field goal from kicker

, but San Francisco struck back with running back

Anthony Dixon Anthony Rishard "Boobie" Dixon (born September 24, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Mississippi State Univers ...

getting a 1-yard touchdown run. The 49ers added onto their lead in the second quarter with running back

Brian Westbrook Brian Collins Westbrook (born September 2, 1979) is a former American football running back who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft af ...

getting an 8-yard touchdown run. Arizona would respond with Feely's 39-yard field goal. From there, San Francisco pulled away in the third quarter as 49ers kicker

Shane Andrus Shane Andrus (born October 2, 1980) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Murray State University#Athletics, Murray State. Andrus has a ...

made a 38-yard field goal, followed by his 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–8.

Week 13: vs. St. Louis Rams

Hoping to break a six-game losing streak the Cardinals played on home ground for a division rivalry match against the Rams. The Cardinals took the early lead as kicker

got a 45 and a 41-yard field goal. They soon trailed after kicker Josh Brown hit a 28, 52 and 20-yard field goal. This was followed in the third quarter by RB

Steven Jackson Steven Rashad Jackson (born July 22, 1983) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Oregon State and was sele ...

getting a 27-yard TD run, and with Brown making a 43-yard field goal. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–9.

Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos

The Cardinals thirteenth game was an interconference duel with the Broncos. The Cardinals trailed early as Broncos kicker

Steven Hauschka Stephen Theodore Hauschka (born June 29, 1985) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State. Hausc ...

nailed a 32-yard field goal, but rallied to take the lead with kicker

making a 36 and a 48-yard field goal, followed by his 5-yard TD run to the endzone, then he made a 55, 23 and a 49-yard field goal to put the Cardinals up 22–3. The lead was narrowed slightly as Hauchka got a 30-yard field goal, but the Cardinals increased their lead with RB

getting an 8-yard TD run. The Broncos tried to break down the lead as RB

Knowshon Moreno Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Georgia and was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He also pl ...

got a 1-yard TD run, but the Cardinals pulled away with Hightower getting a 35-yard TD run, followed by DE

Darnell Dockett Darnell Maurice Dockett (born May 27, 1981) is a former American football defensive end who had a ten-season career playing for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of th ...

recovering a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown. With the win, Arizona improved to 4–9, and got their first-ever win over the Broncos in the franchise's history,Arizona Cardinals versus Denver Broncos
/ref> though they tied in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

and never played the Broncos between

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

. Despite losing nine games on the year, the Cardinals are still playoff-eligible in the very weak NFC West.

Week 15: at Carolina Panthers

Coming off their win over the Broncos the Cardinals flew to

Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 74,867-seat football stadium located on in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League and Charlotte FC of Major ...

for an NFC duel with the Panthers. In the first quarter the Cardinals trailed early as kicker

John Kasay John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Se ...

hit a 28 and a 29-yard field goal. This was followed in the second quarter by QB

Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...

completing a 16-yard touchdown pass to TE Jeff King. The Cardinals answered with kicker

nailing a 23-yard field goal, but struggled further after Kasay made a 24 and a 43-yard field goal. The Cardinals tried to come back with

recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown (With a failed two-point conversion) and then with Feely getting a 30-yard field goal, but the Panthers' defense was enough to secure themselves the win. With the loss, Arizona fell to 4–10, and was officially ousted from the postseason for the first time since 2007.

Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys

This game marked the second time the Cardinals hosted the Cowboys on Christmas Day, after a 1995 ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

'' contest.

Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals' final game was an NFC West rivalry rematch against the 49ers. The Cardinals trailed early as QB

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...

completed a 37-yard TD pass to WR Ted Ginn Jr., followed in the 2nd quarter by kicker Jeff Reed making a 39-yard field goal. The Cardinals narrowed the lead as QB

John Skelton John Skelton may refer to: *John Skelton (poet) (c.1460–1529), English poet. * John de Skelton, MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency) *John Skelton (died 1439), MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency) *John Skelton (American footb ...

completed a 10-yard TD pass to WR

, but fell further behind after Smith completed a 59-yard TD pass to TE

Vernon Davis Vernon Davis (born January 31, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers sixth overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Davis co-led the NFL in touchdown rec ...

, followed by RB

running 6 yards to the endzone for a touchdown twice in succession. Arizona's offense continued to have problems as

Richard Bartel Richard John Bartel (born February 3, 1983) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals. He played college foo ...

's pass was intercepted by CB

Tarell Brown Tarell Lameek Brown (born January 6, 1985) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Texas. High school career ...

and returned 62 yards for a touchdown. With the loss, the Cardinals finish with a 5–11 record.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Arizona Cardinals Season

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Arizona Cardinals seasons