| Team: | St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) |
| Teamdisplay: | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Year: | 1987 |
| Record: | 7–8 |
| Division Place: | 3rd NFC East |
| Coach: | Gene Stallings |
| Owner: | Bill Bidwill |
| Stadium: | Busch Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | QB Neil Lomax T Luis Sharpe FB Ron Wolfley PR Vai Sikahema |
| Shortnavlink: | Cardinals seasons |
The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals season was the franchise's 68th season in the National Football League and the 28th and final season in St. Louis as the team moved to Tempe, Arizona in March 1988. This move left St. Louis without an NFL franchise until the Los Angeles Rams moved there in 1995 to play, only to relocate back to Los Angeles in 2016, once again leaving St. Louis without an NFL team.
See main article: article and 1987 NFL Draft.
After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | Dallas Cowboys | W 24–13 | 1–0 | Busch Stadium | 47,241 | ||
| 2 | September 20 | at San Diego Chargers | L 24–28 | 1–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 47,988 | ||
| – | September 27 | Indianapolis Colts | canceled | 1–1 | Busch Stadium | |||
| 3 | October 4 | at Washington Redskins | L 21–28 | 1–2 | RFK Stadium | 27,728 | ||
| 4 | October 11 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–19 | 2–2 | Busch Stadium | 11,795 | ||
| 5 | October 18 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 28–34 | 2–3 | Candlestick Park | 38,094 | ||
| 6 | October 25 | at New York Giants | L 7–30 | 2–4 | Giants Stadium | 74,391 | ||
| 7 | November 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–28 | 2–5 | Busch Stadium | 24,586 | ||
| 8 | November 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–28 | 3–5 | Busch Stadium | 22,449 | ||
| 9 | November 15 | Los Angeles Rams | L 24–27 | 3–6 | Busch Stadium | 27,730 | ||
| 10 | November 22 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 31–19 | 4–6 | Veterans Stadium | 55,592 | ||
| 11 | November 29 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 34–21 | 5–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 15,909 | ||
| 12 | December 6 | Washington Redskins | L 17–34 | 5–7 | Busch Stadium | 31,324 | ||
| 13 | December 13 | New York Giants | W 27–24 | 6–7 | Busch Stadium | 29,623 | ||
| 14 | December 20 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–14 | 7–7 | Tampa Stadium | 32,046 | ||
| 15 | December 27 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 16–21 | 7–8 | Texas Stadium | 36,788 | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
Days before the game Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill announced that the team would be moving to another city.[1] [2] The announcement increased fan apathy, resulting in an official game attendance of only 22,449, the Cardinals' lowest in four years.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Cardinals were down 28–3 to the Buccaneers. St. Louis would score 28 unanswered points in the final quarter to win 31–28. Tampa kicker Donald Igwebuike attempted a 53-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired but the ball bounced off the crossbar. The Cardinals' 25-point fourth quarter comeback is the largest in NFL history.[3]
This would be the Cardinals' final home game in St. Louis as the franchise would relocate to the Phoenix metro area for the 1988 season. This would be the last NFL game played in St. Louis until September 10, 1995 when the Rams, who had relocated to St. Louis from Los Angeles following the 1994 season, hosted the New Orleans Saints. However, the Rams would move back to Los Angeles prior to the 2016 season.
Entering the final week of the season, the Cardinals needed a win over the Cowboys to secure the NFC's final wild card spot. The Cardinals wound up losing the regular season finale, knocking them out of playoff contention. This would be the final game for the St. Louis Cardinals NFL team. On March 15, 1988, NFL owners approved the Cardinals' move from St. Louis to Tempe, Arizona.[4] Starting with the following season, the Cardinals played as the Phoenix Cardinals before changing the franchise's geographic name to the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 1994 season.[5]