2007 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2007 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 88th in the National Football League (NFL), their 20th in Arizona and their first under head coach Ken Whisenhunt. They improved upon their 5–11 record in 2006 after finishing last place in the NFC West, by finishing 8–8, but the failure of the Cardinals to qualify for the Super Bowl marked the 23rd consecutive year in which the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played in; Super Bowl XIV and Super Bowl XIX were the only postseasons with such an occurrence before 2007.

Two losses to the San Francisco 49ers, who won only five games that season, came back to haunt them in the end, as they were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the ninth straight season. Nonetheless, Pro Football Reference argues that the 2007 Cardinals had the easiest schedule of any team that did not make the playoffs since the 1965 Eagles: they never opposed any team with a better record than 10–6 in any of their sixteen games.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt entered his first year of his term with the Cardinals. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whisenhunt signed a contract with the Cardinals on January 14, 2007 after the Cardinals released former head coach Dennis Green.

In the 2007 regular season, the Cardinals’ non-divisional, conference opponents were primarily from the NFC South, although they also played the Washington Redskins from the NFC East, and the Detroit Lions from the NFC North. Their non-conference opponents were from the AFC North.

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

at Monster Park, San Francisco, California

The Cardinals began their 2007 campaign on the road against their NFC West foe, the San Francisco 49ers. In the first quarter, Arizona trailed early as 49ers RB Frank Gore got a 6-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Cardinals took the lead with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 35-yard field goal, while RB Edgerrin James got a 7-yard TD run. San Francisco would tie the game with kicker Joe Nedney getting a 33-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the 49ers regained the lead with Nedney kicking a 30-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals retook the lead with QB Matt Leinart completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Anquan Boldin. However, late in the game, the Cards' defense failed to hold off San Francisco's ensuing drive, which ended with WR Arnaz Battle getting a 1-yard TD run. With just over :20 seconds left in the game, Arizona had one final chance to save the game. Leinart's pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald was intercepted by 49ers CB Shawntae Spencer.