| Team: | St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) |
| Teamdisplay: | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Year: | 1979 |
| Record: | 5–11 |
| Division Place: | 5th NFC East |
| Coach: | Bud Wilkinson Larry Wilson (interim) |
| Owner: | Bill Bidwill |
| Stadium: | Busch Memorial Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | G Bob Young RB Ottis Anderson CB Roger Wehrli |
| Shortnavlink: | Cardinals seasons |
The 1979 St. Louis Cardinals season was the franchise's 60th year with the National Football League and its 20th season in St. Louis. Bud Wilkinson would be fired in Week 13 after starting 3–10; Larry Wilson, a Pro Football Hall of Fame safety for the Cardinals from 1960 to 1972, would take over as interim head coach and lead the Cardinals to a 2–1 record to finish the season. Wilson would not return for the 1980 season but would return as vice president and General Manager nine years later when the Cardinals had moved to Phoenix.
See main article: article and 1979 NFL Draft.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Houston Oilers | L 7–9 | 0–1 | Houston Astrodome | 46,252 | ||
| 2 | Atlanta Falcons | W 42–17 | 1–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 39,705 | ||
| 3 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 3–20 | 1–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 43,214 | ||
| 4 | Chicago Bears | W 10–7 | 2–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 43,541 |
In his NFL debut, Ottis Anderson had 193 rushing yards.[2]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | Dallas Cowboys | L 21–22 | 0–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,855 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 9 | at New York Giants | W 27–14 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 71,370 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 21–24 | 1–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,416 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 23 | Washington Redskins | L 7–17 | 1–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,680 | Recap | |
| 5 | September 30 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 0–21 | 1–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 48,160 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 7 | at Houston Oilers | W 24–17 | 2–4 | Astrodome | 53,043 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 14 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–24 | 2–5 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 48,367 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 21 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–22 | 2–6 | Texas Stadium | 64,300 | Recap | |
| 9 | October 28 | Cleveland Browns | L 20–38 | 2–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 47,845 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 4 | Minnesota Vikings | W 37–7 | 3–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 47,213 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 11 | at Washington Redskins | L 28–30 | 3–8 | RFK Stadium | 50,868 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 18 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–16 | 3–9 | Veterans Stadium | 70,235 | Recap | |
| 13 | November 25 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 28–34 | 3–10 | Riverfront Stadium | 25,103 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 2 | W 13–10 | 4–10 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 41,593 | Recap | ||
| 15 | December 9 | New York Giants | W 29–20 | 5–10 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 39,802 | Recap | |
| 16 | December 16 | L 6–42 | 5–11 | Soldier Field | 42,810 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||