What a difference an offseason can make.

Coming off a 5-11 season many Cardinals fans thought this team was picking up where it left off in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

But instead of throwing in the towel early and losing another game they expected to win, the Cardinals kept fighting and kept coming back.

“Our guys continued to fight and found a way to win,” coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters Monday. “That’s important, something we weren’t able to do last year.”

A comparison to last year from the coach may be a sign that this year’s team is more comfortable with the issues that need fixing.

“If we can clean up our mistakes we’ll have a chance to be a pretty good football team,” said Whisenhunt.

The Cardinals bounced back from two seven point deficits against the Panthers, playing like a team who has faith in its ability to win no matter the circumstance.

“This was our first real game together and we made our share of mistakes,” said Whisenhunt, “but I was pleased with the way our guys responded.”

Follow @AZSports