The 2017 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 98th 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 ...

, their 30th in

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 ...

and their 12th at

University of Phoenix Stadium A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. It was also the fifth and final season under

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Bruce Arians Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...

. The Cardinals played one road game in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium () in Twickenham, south-west London, England, is a rugby union stadium owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby union governing body, which has its headquarters there. The England national rugby union team plays ...

against the Los Angeles Rams as one of the NFL London Games. They improved on a 7–8–1 season they had in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, finishing 8–8 as they spent most of the season alternating between wins and losses. However, they missed the playoffs for the second straight season.

Offseason

Signings

Departures

Draft

Notes * The Cardinals received one

compensatory selection The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

— No. 179 overall.

Staff

Final roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Detroit Lions

The Cardinals would lose star running back David Johnson to a wrist injury during the game. Afterwards, it was revealed that his dislocated his wrist, an injury that sent him to injured reserve on September 12 and would eventually keep him out for the rest of the season.

Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts

For the first time in 5 years, head coach

made a return to Indianapolis, where he served as quarterback's coach from 1998-2000, as offensive coordinator in 2012, and that same year, served as interim head coach of the Colts, where he led them to a 9-3 record, the best record held by an interim head coach in NFL history.

Week 3: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 5: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 6: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This was the debut of recently acquired veteran running back

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 ...

. He'd have a hot day that contributed to a Cardinal victory, rushing 26 times for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns. The performance would earn him NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams

NFL London Games The Cardinals lost

Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...

to an arm injury during the game. Shortly after, it was revealed that he broke his arm and would be out for the remainder of the season. It was also his last game he'd ever play in the NFL.

Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals swept the 49ers for the third consecutive season.

Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 11: at Houston Texans

Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 14: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 15: at Washington Redskins

Week 16: vs. New York Giants

Week 17: at Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks lost four out of five home games versus the Bruce Arians-led Cardinals; this one, combined with the Atlanta Falcons winning, eliminated Seattle for the first time since 2011. In what would be head coach

' final game as Cardinals head coach, Arians recorded his 50th win with the Cardinals and became the winningest head coach in Cardinals history, surpassing

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently an offensive analyst for Penn State. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the twelfth round of the 19 ...