| Team: | Arizona Cardinals |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Record: | 3–13 |
| Division Place: | 4th NFC West |
| Coach: | Steve Wilks |
| Owner: | Bill Bidwill |
| General Manager: | Steve Keim |
| Stadium: | State Farm Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | CB Patrick Peterson |
| Mvp: | Larry Fitzgerald |
| Roy: | Christian Kirk |
| Uniform: | File:Arizona Cardinals Uniforms 2017-2021.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Cardinals seasons |
The 2018 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 99th in the National Football League (NFL), their 31st in Arizona, and their only season under head coach Steve Wilks. During the off-season, State Farm purchased the naming rights to the Cardinals' home stadium and it was renamed from University of Phoenix Stadium to State Farm Stadium. Although former head coach Bruce Arians retired before the season began, he came out of retirement on January 8, 2019 to become the new coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carson Palmer, the starting quarterback for the previous five seasons, retired in the offseason. To replace him, the Cardinals signed veteran quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon, also selecting Josh Rosen in the first round of the draft. While Rosen took over the starting job by week 4, he and Bradford struggled throughout the season with Glennon only playing sparingly. All three quarterbacks were released or traded by the Cardinals during or after the season.
With a Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Cardinals had their first double digit loss season since 2012 and were eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season. One highlight of the Cardinals' 2018 season was their first ever victory against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, which also resulted in the firing of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy after a nearly 13-year tenure. They finished the season 3–13, their worst record since 2000. The Cardinals also tallied a 1–7 record at home, the worst in franchise history until it was tied by four years later. Head coach Steve Wilks was fired the day after the season ended.
This was also the last full season under the ownership of Bill Bidwill, who died during the 2019 season.
See main article: 2018 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | From Oakland | |||||
| 2 | 47 | |||||
| 3 | 97 | Compensatory pick | ||||
| 4 | 134 | Compensatory pick | ||||
| 6 | 182 | |||||
| 7 | 254 | Compensatory pick |
Draft trades
| Position | Player | College | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | ||||
| CB | ||||
| LB | ||||
| Wisconsin | ||||
| S | ||||
| DB | ||||
| WR | ||||
| WR | Jonah Trinnaman | |||
| S | ||||
| DB | ||||
| WR |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Chargers | W 24–17 | 1–0 | University of Phoenix Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | at New Orleans Saints | W 20–15 | 2–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | ||
| 3 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 27–3 | 3–0 | AT&T Stadium | Recap | ||
| 4 | Denver Broncos | L 10–21 | 3–1 | University of Phoenix Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Washington Redskins | L 6–24 | 0–1 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 16 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 0–34 | 0–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap | |
| 3 | September 23 | Chicago Bears | L 14–16 | 0–3 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | September 30 | Seattle Seahawks | L 17–20 | 0–4 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 28–18 | 1–4 | Levi's Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 14 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 17–27 | 1–5 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | Denver Broncos | L 10–45 | 1–6 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | ||
| 8 | October 28 | San Francisco 49ers | W 18–15 | 2–6 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | Bye | ||||||
| 10 | November 11 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–26 | 2–7 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 18 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–23 | 2–8 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 25 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L 10–45 | 2–9 | StubHub Center | Recap | |
| 13 | December 2 | at Green Bay Packers | W 20–17 | 3–9 | Lambeau Field | Recap | |
| 14 | December 9 | Detroit Lions | L 3–17 | 3–10 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 16 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 14–40 | 3–11 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 23 | Los Angeles Rams | L 9–31 | 3–12 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 30 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 24–27 | 3–13 | CenturyLink Field | Recap | |
Rosen's first start was a loss as the Seahawks kicked a game-winning field goal. The Cardinals started 0–4 for the first time since 1986 when they were in St. Louis. Coupled with wins by the Raiders and Texans, the Cardinals became the only winless team in the NFL.
The Cardinals swept the 49ers for the fourth consecutive season.
This was the first time the Cardinals defeated the Packers on the road since 1949 when the team was based in Chicago. It was also the first time they did so at Lambeau Field. After 12 years as head coach, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was fired following this game.
Larry Fitzgerald passed Jerry Rice for most receptions with a single team in NFL history with 1,282 receptions.[5]
This was the Cardinals first home loss to the Lions since 1993.
With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3–12 and finished 1–7 at home, their worst in franchise history
With the loss, the Cardinals ended their season at 3–13 and were swept by the Seahawks for the first time since 2014.