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Each NFL team’s out of nowhere season

By Randy Gurzi

15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19.
15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19. /
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Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images) /

In an interesting, and different approach, we are about to dive into the most unexpected season for all 32 NFL teams. These “out of nowhere” seasons will be focused on times that a team was better than expected, as we will be highlighting the best “randomly great” seasons for each club.

This includes teams that massively overachieved their low expectations to have years that nobody outside of the team facility even saw coming, not even the diehard fans.

Of course, we have franchises that come out of nowhere and surprise us all, as they end up being a significantly better club than expected. Here, we look at a time when each team did just that, beginning with an unexpected run by the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2008.

Arizona Cardinals: 2008 Super Bowl Run

It’s no secret that the Arizona Cardinals have struggled to find success in the NFL. For example, their 10-win season in 2009 was their first since 1976 when they were still the St. Louis Cardinals. After moving to Phoenix in 1988, they had just one winning season (9-7 in 1998) before their shocking campaign in 2008 — which ended in a Super Bowl berth and near Lombardi Trophy win.

That season came on the heels of an 8-8 campaign where Kurt Warner had inserted himself into the starting lineup at quarterback. The former NFL MVP was backing up Matt Leinart, but his struggles combined with Warner’s leadership necessitated a change.

Warner led the Cards to a 9-7 mark that year. Despite being 37-years of age, he threw for 4,583 yards with 30 touchdowns. He had three 1,000-yard receivers as Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston were all on fire that year for Arizona.

This explosive offense ended up defeating the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles to earn a spot in Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Arizona had a lead late, but the game was decided on a last-second touchdown grab by Santonio Holmes. It was a remarkable season. Even though they lost, it was still the most unexpected, and unreal, run by the Cardinals franchise to date.

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