Alright, so I’ve been digging into this whole Cardinals playoff situation, and let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. I mean, I started this whole thing thinking, “Can they actually make it?” You know, the usual fan hope. So, I went and checked out what the folks over at The New York Times were saying with their playoff predictor thing.
Then, I saw this headline about them facing off against the Rams, and I thought, “Oh, this could be it!” But, nope. Turns out, after they lost to the Panthers, their playoff dreams kinda went up in smoke. They got eliminated, and I was like, “Seriously?” I felt a bit bummed, not gonna lie.
But I kept digging. I found out that since they moved to the Valley of the Sun in ’88, they’ve only been to the playoffs six times. Six! And just three division titles. It’s not a lot, people. I mean, this is a team in Arizona, where we’re all about the sunshine and winning, right?
I also saw some stuff about how, going into their bye week, there was still a tiny bit of hope. Some folks were saying they could still clinch the division, which is a straight ticket to the playoffs. But then, I looked at what the baseball sites – Baseball Reference and FanGraphs – were saying, and they were basically like, “Nah, maybe a 1% chance.” Which, in sports terms, is pretty much saying, “Don’t get your hopes up.”
So, What’s the Deal?
- Started with Hope: I really thought they had a shot.
- Reality Check: That loss to the Panthers was a tough pill to swallow.
- History Lesson: Six playoff appearances since ’88? Come on!
- Bye Week Hope: For a second, I thought maybe, just maybe.
- The 1% Chance: Baseball sites rained on my parade.
Honestly, it’s been a journey. One minute I’m thinking playoffs, the next I’m looking at stats that tell a different story. But hey, that’s sports, right? You win some, you lose some. And as a fan, you just keep hoping and digging and sharing your thoughts, even when things look bleak. That’s what I’ve been doing, anyway. Just a regular guy trying to make sense of the Cardinals’ playoff chances. Or, well, lack thereof.