The 2004 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 85th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 106th overall and their 17th in Arizona. The first year under head coach Dennis Green, the team finished with a 6–10 record, an improvement on their 4–12 record from the previous season, and finished in third place in the NFC West, failing to make the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Season lows for the Cardinals included losing two games to the San Francisco 49ers, the only two games the 49ers won in 2004. The Cardinals, during Week 9, also defeated the Miami Dolphins for the first time in franchise history.
The season was notable for drafting wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald with the third overall pick of the draft. At the end of the season, Emmitt Smith retired after 15 years in the league.
Offseason Additions SubtractionsQB Shaun King (Buccaneers) G Pete Kendall (Jets)CB David Macklin (Colts) QB Jeff Blake (Eagles)WR Karl Williams (Buccaneers) G Chris Dishman (Rams) DT Derrick Ransom (Jaguars) CB David Barrett (Jets)
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 2004 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRomby BryantWide receiverTulsaLarry CroomRunning backUNLVClarence CurryCornerbackVillanovaEric EdwardsTight endLSUMatt FordyceKickerFordhamChris LewisQuarterbackStanfordAdrian MayesSafetyLSUTyrone SandersCornerbackTCURolando CantúGuardITESM
Pat Tillman On April 22, 2004, former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident while on patrol. Tillman was the first professional football player to be killed in combat since the death of Bob Kalsu of the Buffalo Bills, who died in the Vietnam War in 1970. Tillman was posthumously laterally promoted from Specialist to Corporal. He also received posthumous Silver Star and Purple Heart medals. On Sunday, September 19, 2004, all teams of the NFL wore a memorial decal on their helmets in Tillman's honor. The Cardinals continued to wear this decal throughout the 2004 season.
Personnel
Roster
Regular season Schedule In the 2004 regular season, the Cardinals' non-divisional, conference opponents were primarily from the NFC South, although they also played the New York Giants from the NFC East, and the Detroit Lions from the NFC North. Their non-conference opponents were from the AFC East.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 at St. Louis Rams L 10–17 0–1 Edward Jones Dome 65,538 2 September 19 New England Patriots L 12–23 0–2 Sun Devil Stadium 51,557 3 September 26 at Atlanta Falcons L 3–6 0–3 Georgia Dome 70,534 4 October 3 New Orleans Saints W 34–10 1–3 Sun Devil Stadium 28,109 5 October 10 at San Francisco 49ers L 28–31 1–4 Monster Park 62,836 6 Bye 7 October 24 Seattle Seahawks W 25–17 2–4 Sun Devil Stadium 35,695 8 October 31 at Buffalo Bills L 14–38 2–5 Ralph Wilson Stadium 65,887 9 November 7 at Miami Dolphins W 24–23 3–5 Pro Player Stadium 72,612 10 November 14 New York Giants W 17–14 4–5 Sun Devil Stadium 42,297 11 November 21 at Carolina Panthers L 10–35 4–6 Bank of America Stadium 72,796 12 November 28 New York Jets L 3–13 4–7 Sun Devil Stadium 35,820 13 December 5 at Detroit Lions L 12–26 4–8 Ford Field 62,262 14 December 12 San Francisco 49ers L 28–31 4–9 Sun Devil Stadium 35,069 15 December 19 St. Louis Rams W 31–7 5–9 Sun Devil Stadium 40,070 16 December 26 at Seattle Seahawks L 21–24 5–10 Qwest Field 65,825 17 January 2, 2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 12–7 6–10 Sun Devil Stadium 31,650Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: at St. Louis Rams
Week 2: vs. New England Patriots
Week 3: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers
With the overtime loss, the Cardinals fell to last place in the NFC West and entered their bye week at 1-4.
Week 7: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 8: at Buffalo Bills
Week 9: at Miami Dolphins
The Cardinals recorded their first-ever win against the Dolphins and ended their eight-game losing streak against them.
Week 10: vs. New York Giants
Week 11: at Carolina Panthers
Week 12: vs. New York Jets
Week 13: at Detroit Lions
Week 14: vs. San Francisco 49ers
With the overtime loss, the Cardinals were swept by the 49ers and dropped to 4-9, thus, eliminating them from playoff contention for the 6th year in a row. They would end up being the only team to lose to San Francisco in 2004.
Week 15: vs. St. Louis Rams
Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks
With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 5-10 and finished 2-4 against the NFC West.
Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Standings
References