The Arizona Cardinals were given a prime opportunity to clinch an NFC playoff spot at home, in primetime, against the heavyweight rival Los Angeles Rams. And from start to finish, the team in red didn't resemble a division favorite.
Another week must pass until the Cardinals can lock up their first postseason spot since 2015, as the short-handed Rams finally broke out of a month-long slump and flexed muscles in a 30-23 win on Monday at State Farm Stadium. In six home games this season, Arizona is 3-3, and winless in its last three.
"Right now, [home losses are] the biggest issue. On the road, they're pretty much unbeatable," Cardinals reporter Tyler Drake told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Tuesday. "They're a really good, solid team. That's the thing, they don't really know what's going on at home. They say on the road, it's backs against the wall, Band of Brothers-type situation where it's us against them. Coming in there jacked-up. Nobody can really pinpoint it at home."
Inopportune miscues caused the Cardinals to lose possession of the NFC's top overall seed and lone first-round bye. During the first quarter, Kyler Murray threw a costly interception on 2nd-and-goal, and the mistake led to a 68-yard touchdown drive by the Rams. Murray's second pick of the game came two quarters later, and it also resulted in additional points for the opposition. Overall, the MVP candidate threw for 383 yards and no touchdowns.
Arizona (10-3), which now holds a one-game lead in the NFC West and owns the conference's three-seed, will visit the Detroit Lions (1-11-1) in a Week 15 matchup on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Cardinals have an 89-percent chance to win the division and a 10-percent chance to earn the NFC's first-round bye.
The entire Cardinals conversation between Drake and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.