The Cardinals’ 5-game losing streak — and season — has been brutally close

A five-game losing streak usually means a team isn’t very good. The Arizona Cardinals could say they’ve been on the extreme side of bad luck, that they’re oh-so close to winning every game this season.

Of course, a trend might indicate it’s more about mistakes and late-game execution than luck. How the Cardinals find themselves at 2-5 certainly suggests they are not doing winning team things.

But the numbers are brutally painful to explain how many times Arizona has lost by the slimmest of margins.

For the season, Arizona’s point differential sits at just -1.

The Cardinals have lost the last five games by a total of 13 points, making them the second team ever to have such a long skid with such a small point differential, joining the 2017 San Francisco 49ers, per NFL Plus.

They have put themselves in winning positions only to lose a grip. Arizona’s three most recent losses came after it led by at least a touchdown entering the fourth quarter, and it’s the first time that’s ever happened in NFL history, according to the FOX broadcast.

They’ve been outscored in fourth quarters by a jaw-dropping 44-6 over the past three weeks.

Since we’re tracking history, a review of the full losing skid:

The Cardinals’ 5-game losing streak

First loss: Sept. 21 at San Francisco – 16-15

The 49ers took a 13-6 lead four minutes into the fourth quarter, but Arizona tied it quickly with a four-play, 65-yard drive in just two minutes. Then, Calais Campbell baited a holding penalty by the Niners in the opposite end zone for a safety, giving the Cardinals a 15-13 lead with 3:15 remaining.

Problem is, they could only burn 1:29 off the clock in five plays from there before punting, giving Mac Jones 1:46 from the San Francisco 20-yard line to go 63 yards, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro.

Second loss: Sept. 25 vs. Seattle – 23-20

A field goal gave the Seahawks a 20-6 lead with 9:33 left in the game before a wild Cardinals rally. Kyler Murray fed Marvin Harrison Jr. often for two scoring drives that combined for less than seven minutes. They sandwiched a missed field goal by Seattle for Arizona to tie it.

There were only 28 seconds left on the clock when Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland failed to put the ball deep enough into the landing zone, a penalty that gave Seattle the ball at their own 40.

A 22-yard strike to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a four-yard run set up a 52-yard field goal by Jason Myers to walk it off for the Seahawks.

Third loss: Oct. 5 vs. Titans – 22-21

The first of the three fourth-quarter leads blown in a row, the Cardinals were up 21-6 at halftime — and by the same score entering the fourth — but came out of the halftime break sluggish. Their second-half possessions went like so: fumble, punt, fumble, punt, punt.

They paid for it.

The Titans scored 16 unanswered in the final 10:26 of the game thanks to Arizona running back Emari Demercado’s runaway, would-be touchdown dropped at the 1-yard line.

Then came the forced turnover and fumble by Dadrion Taylor-Demerson that was recovered in the end zone by the Titans for another touchdown.

Still, it was rookie quarterback Cam Ward leading an 11-play, 71-yard drive in 1:53 to set up a game-winning field goal from 29 yards by Joey Slye that won it.

Fourth loss: Oct. 12 at Colts – 31-27

Jacoby Brissett, in for Kyler Murray, had the Cardinals trading punches and put them ahead with a 66-yard drive near the end of the third quarter to go up 24-17.

Indianapolis tied things with a three-minute drive to start the fourth, but Arizona mustered a field goal with 9:31 left that wasn’t enough as the Colts burned five minutes off the clock to go up by four points with 4:32 remaining.

Arizona moved the ball 78 yards in 10 plays before the drive died inside the Colts’ 10-yard line with two incompletions and a sack taken.

Fifth loss: Oct. 19 vs. Packers – 27-23

It was a mirror image of the loss to the Colts:

Brissett put together another strong game behind center and, for the second game in a row, put Arizona up a touchdown late in the third quarter.

Similarly, the Packers tied it just on the other side of the last quarter break.

Similarly, Arizona nabbed a field goal lead.

And similarly, a go-ahead touchdown by the opponent left time on the clock for the Cardinals to go win it before a sack taken and a few misses by Brissett turned the ball over on downs.

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