They've made the playoffs 10 times and won seven of them, three of which came during their run in the 2008-09 NFL playoffs. They won their lone NFC Championship Game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and advanced to Super Bowl XLIII that season (losing 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers).
The Cardinals have also had nine consecutive seasons with ten or more wins, the longest active streak in the NFL. They're looking to become just the second team in NFL history to win ten games in each of its first two seasons - the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only other team to do so.
Arizona has also never lost a playoff game when entering the fourth quarter down by at least 17 points or later. The closest they came was the 2009 NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints, who were leading 21-7 before halftime. The Cardinals scored twice in the third quarter to make it 21-14, but couldn't get any closer than one touchdown away from reaching their first Super Bowl appearance.
They'll have another chance this year after finishing the 2012 season with a 12-4 record. If they were to win their division and advance to the NFC Championship Game, they'd be facing off against Seattle for the right to play Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLVIII. That would be a rematch of last year's championship game where the Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 28-22 in Glendale, AZ.
They were 7-3 at one point in the season, but finished 3-3 down the stretch, winning their final two regular-season games. They triumphed in Week 17 to earn a spot in the Super Bowl, and their run began in Philadelphia. The wild card team will now travel to New Orleans for a showdown with the Saints' high-powered offense.
The Eagles defeated the New York Giants 28-24 to advance to their first ever Super Bowl game. It was also Philadelphia's first playoff win since 2004. Quarterback Michael Vick led the charge by throwing for three touchdowns without an interception. He also ran for another score as the Eagles dominated on both sides of the ball. Defensive end Jason Babin was named the game's most valuable player after he recorded 2 1/2 sacks during the contest. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter also had a hand in stopping New York's ground attack, not allowing the Giants to gain any yardage on the ground. Safety Kurt Coleman came up big again and again for Philly, including an interception in the end zone on third down that sealed the victory.
The wild card teams are supposed to be teams that no one wants to face in the playoffs, but here are the Eagles - who many people wrote off after losing Vick for much of the season - heading to South Philly to face the defending champion Saints.
Since the 1970 merger of the AFL and the NFL, the Broncos have won 15 division titles and appeared in eight Super Bowls, including those in 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013, and 2015. The most recent Super Bowl victory was over the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24-10.
In addition to their 1995 and 1996 championships, the Broncos also earned playoff appearances in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2006, and 2007. From 1972 to 2004, the only other team in NFL history to win at least one championship game every year of its existence are the Dallas Cowboys. The Broncos' consecutive championship streak was ended by the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 and 2015.
Denver has also had considerable success outside of the Super Bowl era with nine conference titles and four AFL championships. The Broncos last AFL title came in 1959. They have not won any other major professional sports league titles besides the NFL during this time period.
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has said that he wants his team to win a super bowl before he dies. So it is very possible that they will win another before he passes away.
The Bengals won Super Bowls 16 and 23, respectively, in 1982 and 1989. Both games were tight, especially SB 23, and Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers came out on top both times. In Super Bowl 16, the 49ers led 20-0 at halftime until the Bengals rallied and defeated San Francisco 21-6 in the second half.
The Super Bowl is the National Football League (NFL) championship game contested in January or February between the winners of the league's American Football Conference and National Football Conference. Each year, a new city hosts the game. What exactly is the Super Bowl?
Since 1971's Super Bowl V, all games have been played between the two top teams from each conference, with the NFC holding a 26-25 advantage over the AFC. Twenty (11 NFC, 9 AFC) of the NFL's current 32 clubs have won a Super Bowl, while 14 (8 AFC, 6 NFC) have multiple victories.
It has replaced the NFL Championship Game as the last game of every NFL season since 1966. The game has been played on the first Sunday in February since 2004. Winning teams get the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is named for the namesake coach who won the first two Super Bowls.
Say it out loud: Pause Four current NFL teams, including franchises that have relocated or been renamed, have never appeared in a Super Bowl: the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans, despite the fact that both the Browns (1950, 1954, 1955, 1964) and Lions (1935, 1952, 1953, 1957) had won NFL Championship Games prior to...
The Cardinals have never won a Super Bowl. They came closest to earning a title in 2008, when they were defeated in the Super Bowl. The team has had more than its share of success over the years, with seven division titles and five playoff appearances.
In 1967, the NFL merged with its rival league, the American Football League. As part of the merger agreement, each franchise was given an equal number of votes for the first President of the NFL/AFL Joint Council. The vote was held at the 1968 NFL meeting in Chicago and resulted in a split decision between Boston Patriots owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. and Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. In the end, neither man earned enough votes to become the sole owner of the NFL/AFL JCC, so both teams will receive a ring dating from that year. "'
As you can see by these pictures, the Cardinals have had quite the successful career so far. They currently play in State Farm Stadium in downtown Phoenix. The team is owned by Dr. Michael Beranbaum and Darryl Rosenberry. Both men are Israeli-American.
The Cardinals were founded in 1926 as one of the eight original NFL teams.
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