PHOENIX — There's no way around it, that loss was ugly. The Arizona Cardinals had one of the top records in the league while Detroit had just one win in the season.
Everything about Sunday's game said the Cardinals had a victory in hand.
Then the game happened. Arizona looked out of sorts on both sides of the ball and Detroit dominated on all levels and gave the Cardinals their unexpected fourth loss of the season.
After that loss, there's plenty of empty space in the Cardinals glass of post season possibilities, but one stat may offer a glimmer of optimism for fans.
If you're looking for some positive vibes after Sunday's sub-par performance, try this tweet on for size. According to the official Twitter account of the NFL Media Research Department, a Super Bowl appearance could be in the cards for Arizona.
The tweet explains a stat that said Sunday's result is the third time since 1970 that a team with the NFL's worst record beat a team with the best record. And the last two teams who lost, both went on to win the Super Bowl in those seasons.
So you see, all is not lost. There's plenty of reason to see that post season glass as half full.
Arizona's current record is 10-4 and very much still in control of their playoff destiny. One more win this season will clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2015.
The Cardinals next game will be a pivotal matchup at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Christmas Day.
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