The 2005 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 86th in the National Football League (NFL), their 107th overall and their 18th in Arizona. The team was unable to improve upon their 6–10 record from the previous season, and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.Arizona Cardinals Franchise Encyclopedia
The October 2 game was the first regular season game to be played outside the United States and was known as NFL Futbol Americano. The game was a Cardinals home game, and the Cardinals defeated their division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, 31–14. For the first time since moving to the NFC West in 2002, the Cardinals swept division rivals the 49ers and won in Candlestick Park for the first time since 1978.
The Cardinals, as a team, had a paltry 1,138 rushing yards in 2005, only 71.1 yards per game with only 2 rushing touchdowns all season.Pro-Football-Reference.com: 2005 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics Remarkably, the Cardinals only had one 100-yard rushing game, when they ran for 129 yards in the season finale against the Indianapolis Colts.Pro-Football-Reference.com: 2005 Arizona Cardinals Arizona's season total is the fifth-fewest rushing yards by a team in a 16-game season.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Rushing Yds | as of 2011 season
The Cardinals passing offense, however, led the league, with 4,437 yards. Kurt Warner's 271.3 passing yards per game were third in the NFL, and his 24.2 pass completions per-game led the league.Pro-Football-Reference: 2005 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tied for the league lead in receptions, with 103,Tied with the Carolina Panthers’ Steve Smith edging out his teammate Anquan Boldin, who had 102 (tied for third in the NFL)Tied with the St. Louis Rams' Torry Holt. Fitzgerald's 1,409 yards, and Boldin’s 1,402 yards receiving were fourth and fifth in the NFL, respectively, in 2005. Boldin’s 100.1 receiving yards per game led the NFL.
The season also saw the Cardinals change their logo and uniforms, which remained until 2023. It was also their final season playing at Sun Devil Stadium. For the 2006 season, the Cardinals moved to their new stadium, the University of Phoenix Stadium, now Cardinals Stadium, in Glendale, where they still play to this day.
Offseason
NFL draft
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season Schedule In the 2005 regular season, the Cardinals’ non-divisional, conference opponents were primarily from the NFC East, although they also played the Carolina Panthers from the NFC South, and the Detroit Lions from the NFC North. Their non-conference opponents were from the AFC South. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 11 at New York Giants L 19–42 0–1 Giants Stadium 78,387 2 September 18 St. Louis Rams L 12–17 0–2 Sun Devil Stadium 45,160 3 September 25 at Seattle Seahawks L 12–37 0–3 Qwest Field 64,843 4 October 2 San Francisco 49ers W 31–14 1–3 Estadio Azteca 103,467 5 October 9 Carolina Panthers L 20–24 1–4 Sun Devil Stadium 38,809 6 Bye 7 October 23 Tennessee Titans W 20–10 2–4 Sun Devil Stadium 39,482 8 October 30 at Dallas Cowboys L 13–34 2–5 Texas Stadium 62,068 9 November 6 Seattle Seahawks L 19–33 2–6 Sun Devil Stadium 43,542 10 November 13 at Detroit Lions L 21–29 2–7 Ford Field 61,091 11 November 20 at St. Louis Rams W 38–28 3–7 Edward Jones Dome 65,750 12 November 27 Jacksonville Jaguars L 17–24 3–8 Sun Devil Stadium 39,198 13 December 4 at San Francisco 49ers W 17–10 4–8 Monster Park 60,439 14 December 11 Washington Redskins L 13–17 4–9 Sun Devil Stadium 46,654 15 December 18 at Houston Texans L 19–30 4–10 Reliant Stadium 70,024 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 27–21 5–10 Sun Devil Stadium 44,723 17 January 1 at Indianapolis Colts L 13–17 5–11 RCA Dome 57,211 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary
Week 1: at New York Giants
Week 2: vs. St. Louis Rams
Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers Fútbol Americano
Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 7: vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 8: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 9: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 10: at Detroit Lions
Week 11: at St. Louis Rams
Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 14: vs. Washington Redskins
Week 15: at Houston Texans
Week 16: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 17: at Indianapolis Colts
Standings
Notes
References