2012 Arizona Cardinals season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Arizona Cardinals 2012 5–11 4th NFC West Ken Whisenhunt Rod Graves Bill Bidwill University of Phoenix Stadium Did not qualify WR Larry Fitzgerald LB Daryl Washington CB Patrick Peterson File:Arizona Cardinals Uniforms 2010-2016.png Cardinals seasons The 2012 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 93rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 25th in Arizona, and their sixth and final season under head coach Ken Whisenhunt. After a surprising 4–0 start, which included a major upset of the New England Patriots in week 2, the Cardinals lost 11 of their final 12 games, and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season, resulting in the firing of head coach Ken Whisenhunt after six seasons. This was Rod Graves' last season as general manager of the Cardinals. A day after the final game of the regular season, he was fired after 6 seasons. 3 2012 draft class thumb|Arizona at the New York Jets in week 13 2012 NFL draft 2012 Arizona Cardinals 1 13 Michael Floyd Wide receiver Notre Dame yes 3 80 Jamell Fleming Defensive back Oklahoma yes 4 112 Bobby Massie Tackle Ole Miss yes 5 151 Senio Kelemete Guard Washington yes 6 177 Justin Bethel Defensive back Presbyterian yes yes The Cardinals acquired this sixth-round selection (No. 177 overall) and defensive end Vonnie Holliday in a trade that sent running back Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins. 6 185 Ryan Lindley Quarterback San Diego State yes 7 221 Nate Potter Tackle Boise State yes nohttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/2012_draft.htm 2012 Arizona Cardinals Draftees Pro Football Reference May 18, 2024 The Cardinals traded their second-round selection and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Kevin Kolb. Staff 2012 Arizona Cardinals #870619 white black Owner/chairman – Bill Bidwill President – Michael Bidwill general manager – Rod Graves Director of football administration – Reggie Terry Director of player personnel – Steve Keim Director of pro personnel – Jason Licht Assistant director of pro personnel – Quentin Harris Head coach – Ken Whisenhunt Assistant head coach/run game coordinator/offensive line – Russ Grimm Offensive coordinator – Mike Miller Quarterbacks – John McNulty Running backs – Tommie Robinson Wide receivers – Frank Reich Tight ends – Freddie Kitchens Offensive quality control – Chad Grimm Defensive coordinator – Ray Horton Defensive line – Ron Aiken Linebackers – Matt Raich Defensive backs – Louie Cioffi Assistant defensive backs – Deshea Townsend Defensive quality control – Ryan Slowik Special teams – Kevin Spencer Strength and conditioning – John Lott Assistant strength and conditioning – Pete Alosi Final roster 2012 Arizona Cardinals 53 11 8  6 Brian Hoyer 14 Ryan Lindley y 19 John Skelton American football 33 William Powell gridiron football 35 Anthony Sherman FB 29 Alfonso Smith 36 LaRod Stephens-Howling 26 Beanie Wells 17 LaRon Byrd y 85 Early Doucet 11 Larry Fitzgerald 15 Michael Floyd y 12 Andre Roberts American football 18 Kerry Taylor American football 81 Jim Dray 87 Jeff King American football 83 Kory Sperry 74 D'Anthony Batiste T 71 Daryn Colledge G 69 Mike Gibson American football G 64 Senio Kelemete y G 70 Bobby Massie y T 67 Pat McQuistan G 76 Nate Potter y T 68 Adam Snyder G/C 66 Scott Wedige y C 93 Calais Campbell DE 79 David Carter defensive lineman NT/DE 90 Darnell Dockett DE 98 Nick Eason NT/DE 91 Vonnie Holliday DE 96 Ronald Talley DE 92 Dan Williams defensive tackle NT 94 Sam Acho OLB 55 Stewart Bradley American football ILB 54 Quentin Groves OLB 51 Paris Lenon ILB 59 Zack Nash y OLB 56 Reggie Walker linebacker, born 1986 ILB 58 Daryl Washington ILB 27 Michael Adams American football CB 31 Justin Bethel y CB 23 Jamell Fleming y CB 22 William Gay cornerback CB 49 Rashad Johnson FS/SS 21 Patrick Peterson CB 25 Kerry Rhodes FS 39 James Sanders American football SS 28 Greg Toler CB 24 Adrian Wilson American football SS  3 Jay Feely K 82 Mike Leach long snapper LS  9 Dave Zastudil P 62 Ryan Bartholomew C IR 75 Levi Brown offensive tackle T IR 65 Blake DeChristopher y G IR 84 Rob Housler TE IR 45 Javarris James RB IR  4 Kevin Kolb QB IR 72 Rich Ohrnberger C IR 50 O'Brien Schofield OLB/DE IR 63 Lyle Sendlein C IR -- Brandon Williams linebacker LB IR 34 Ryan Williams running back RB IR 78 Steven Baker American football y T 53 Tim Fugger y LB 95 Ricky Lumpkin NT 20 Greg McCoy y CB 52 Colin Parker y LB 10 Gerell Robinson y WR 60 Everrette Thompson y DE 32 Fozzy Whittaker y RB Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap HOF August 5 vs. New Orleans Saints L 10–17 0–1 Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio) Recap 1 August 10 at Kansas City Chiefs L 17–27 0–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 2 August 17 Oakland Raiders W 31–27 1–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 3 August 23 at Tennessee Titans L 27–32 1–3 LP Field Recap 4 August 30 Denver Broncos L 13–16 1–4 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 Seattle Seahawks W 20–16 1–0 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 2 September 16 at New England Patriots W 20–18 2–0 Gillette Stadium Recap 3 September 23 Philadelphia Eagles W 27–6 3–0 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 4 September 30 Miami Dolphins W 24–21 (OT) 4–0 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 5 October 4 Thursday at St. Louis Rams L 3–17 4–1 Edward Jones Dome Recap 6 October 14 Buffalo Bills L 16–19 (OT) 4–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 7 October 21 at Minnesota Vikings L 14–21 4–3 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap 8 October 29 Monday San Francisco 49ers L 3–24 4–4 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 9 November 4 at Green Bay Packers L 17–31 4–5 Lambeau Field Recap 10 Bye 11 November 18 at Atlanta Falcons L 19–23 4–6 Georgia Dome Recap 12 November 25 St. Louis Rams L 17–31 4–7 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 13 December 2 at New York Jets L 6–7 4–8 MetLife Stadium Recap 14 December 9 at Seattle Seahawks L 0–58 4–9 CenturyLink Field Recap 15 December 16 Detroit Lions W 38–10 5–9 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 16 December 23 Chicago Bears L 13–28 5–10 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 17 December 30 at San Francisco 49ers L 13–27 5–11 Candlestick Park Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week One: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary September 9 1:25 pm. MDT Seahawks 3 0 10 3 Cardinals 3 7 3 7 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 60,032 Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Bruce Hermansen Fox Sam Rosen, Heath Evans and Heidi Androl The Cardinals began their season at home against their divisional rival Seahawks with quarterback John Skelton at the starting helm. The team started their season 1–0 despite Skelton finishing the game 14/28 for 149 yards and an interception. Kevin Kolb later on made an appearance in relief of Skelton going 6/8 for 66 yards and a touchdown pass. Week 2: at New England Patriots Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Two: Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots – Game summary September 16 1:00 pm. EDT/10:00 a.m MDT Cardinals 6 0 7 7 Patriots 3 3 3 9 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts 68,756 64 F C, partly cloudy David Scott Fox Dick Stockton, John Lynch and Jennifer Hale First quarter ARI – Jay Feely 38-yard field goal, 8:47. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 6:18. ARI – Jay Feely 47-yard field goal, 7:47. Cardinals 6–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:49. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 46-yard field goal, 2:27. Cardinals 6–3. Drive: 11 plays, 47 yards, 5:20. Second quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 34-yard field goal, 9:12. Tied 6–6. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:32. Third quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 51-yard field goal, 12:58. Patriots 9–6. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:07. ARI – Andre Roberts 2-yard pass from Kevin Kolb (Jay Feely kick), 8:52. Cardinals 13–9. Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 0:49. Fourth quarter ARI – Kevin Kolb 5-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 14:00. Cardinals 20–9. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 3:46. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 53-yard field goal, 6:50. Cardinals 20–12. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 1:11. NE – Rob Gronkowski 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (pass failed), 2:06. Cardinals 20–18. Drive: 11 plays, 82 yards, 3:36. Top passers ARI – Kevin Kolb – 15/27, 140 yards, TD NE – Tom Brady – 28/46, 316 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ARI – Beanie Wells – 14 rushes, 44 yards NE – Stevan Ridley – 18 rushes, 71 yards Top receivers ARI – Todd Heap – 5 receptions, 62 yards NE – Wes Welker – 5 receptions, 95 yards In a huge upset at Gillette Stadium, the Cardinals beat the Patriots to become 2–0. This was the Cardinals' first win against the Patriots since 1991. This would be their last win over New England until 2024. Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles background-color:black; color:white; border:2px solid #97233F; text-align:center; autocollapse Week Three: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary September 23 1:05 pm. MDT Eagles 0 0 6 0 Cardinals 10 14 0 3 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 60,436 Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Mike Shepherd Fox Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin First quarter ARI – Jay Feely 47-yard field goal, 10:18. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 3:47. ARI – Michael Floyd 8-yard pass from Kevin Kolb (Jay Feely kick), 1:04. Cardinals 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 34 yards, 3:32. Second quarter ARI – Larry Fitzgerald 37-yard pass from Kevin Kolb (Jay Feely kick), 7:30. Cardinals 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 1:32. ARI – James Sanders 98-yard fumble return (Jay Feely kick), 0:00. Cardinals 24–0. Third quarter PHI – Alex Henery 36-yard field goal, 5:07. Cardinals 24–3. Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 6:30. PHI Alex Henery 40-yard field goal, 0:02. Cardinals 24–6. Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, 3:12. Fourth quarter ARI – Jay Feely 27-yard field goal, 3:52. Cardinals 27–6. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:34. Top passers PHI – Michael Vick – 17/37, 217 yards ARI – Kevin Kolb – 17/24, 222 yards, 2 TD Top rushers PHI – LeSean McCoy – 13 rushes, 70 yards ARI – Ryan Williams – 13 rushes, 83 yards Top receivers PHI – Damaris Johnson – 5 receptions, 84 yards ARI – Larry Fitzgerald – 9 receptions, 113 yards, TD With the win, the Cardinals started 3–0 for the first time since 1974. Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Four: Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary September 30 1:05 pm. MDT Dolphins 0 13 0 8 0 Cardinals 0 0 7 14 3 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 60,183 Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Scott Green CBS Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter MIA – Dan Carpenter 32-yard field goal, 13:25. Dolphins 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 5:49. MIA – Jorvorskie Lane 1-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 1:56. Dolphins 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 95 yards, 3:49. MIA – Dan Carpenter 27-yard field goal, 0:06. Dolphins 13–0. Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards, 0:24. Third quarter ARI – Larry Fitzgerald 3-yard pass from Kevin Kolb (Jay Feely kick), 9:46. Dolphins 13–7. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 2:57. Fourth quarter ARI – Andre Roberts 46-yard pass from Kevin Kolb (Jay Feely kick), 9:45. Cardinals 14–13. Drive: 3 plays, 81 yards, 1:27. MIA – Brian Hartline 80-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Tannehill pass to Lane), 7:05. Dolphins 21–14. Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:08. ARI – Andre Roberts 15-yard pass from Kevin Kolb (Jay Feely kick), 0:22. Tied 21–21. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 2:29. Overtime ARI – Jay Feely 46-yard field goal, 8:34. Cardinals 24–21. Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 3:30. Top passers MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 26/41, 431 yards, TD, 2 INT ARI – Kevin Kolb – 29/48, 324 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers MIA – Reggie Bush – 17 rushes, 67 yards ARI – Ryan Williams – 13 rushes, 26 yards Top receivers MIA – Brian Hartline – 12 receptions, 253 yards, TD ARI – Andre Roberts – 6 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD Week 5: at St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Five: Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams – Game summary October 4 7:20 pm. CDT/5:20 pm. MDT Cardinals 3 0 0 0 Rams 7 3 0 7 Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri 54,653 Played indoors (dome stadium) John Parry NFLN Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan This was the Cardinals' 700th loss. They became the first team in NFL history to do this. Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills background-color:black; color:white; border:2px solid #97233F; text-align:center; autocollapse Week Six: Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary October 14 1:05 pm. MDT Bills 9 0 7 0 3 Cardinals 3 7 3 3 0 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 60,385 Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Alberto Riveron CBS Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker With the tough loss, the Cardinals fell to 4–2 and also with the Seahawks' win over the Patriots and the 49ers' loss to the Giants, the team remained in a tie for first place in the NFC West. Week 7: at Minnesota Vikings Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Seven: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary October 21 12:00 pm. CDT/10:00 am. MDT Cardinals 0 7 0 7 Vikings 7 7 7 0 Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota 61,068 Played indoors (dome stadium) Terry McAulay Fox Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jaime Maggio Week 8: vs. San Francisco 49ers Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Eight: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary October 29 5:30 pm. MDT 49ers 7 10 7 0 Cardinals 0 0 3 0 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 62,810 90 F C, sunny & clear skies (retractable roof open) Bill Leavy ESPN Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters Week 9: at Green Bay Packers Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Nine: Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers – Game summary November 4 12:00 pm. CST/11:00 am. MST Cardinals 0 7 10 0 Packers 7 14 10 0 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin 70,504 39 F C, mostly cloudy Walt Coleman Fox Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver Losing their fifth straight game of the season by remaining winless at Lambeau Field (0–7), the Cardinals headed into their bye week at 4–5. Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Eleven: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary November 18 1:00 pm. EST/11:00 am. MST Cardinals 13 3 0 3 Falcons 0 16 0 7 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 69,630 Played indoors (dome stadium) Bill Vinovich Fox Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa Week 12: vs. St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Twelve: St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary November 25 2:25 pm. MST Rams 0 14 14 3 Cardinals 7 10 0 0 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 60,062 Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Tony Corrente Fox Dick Stockton, John Lynch and Jennifer Hale With their 7th straight loss the Cardinals were swept by the Rams and fell to 4-7. Week 13: at New York Jets Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Thirteen: Arizona Cardinals at New York Jets – Game summary December 2 1:00 pm. EST/11:00 am. MST Cardinals 0 3 0 3 Jets 0 0 0 7 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 79,088 46 F C, cloudy Walt Anderson Fox Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter ARI – Jay Feely 48-yard field goal, 0:03. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 2:31. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter NYJ – Jeff Cumberland 1-yard pass from Greg McElroy (Nick Folk kick), 14:55. Jets 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 4:53. ARI – Jay Feely 35-yard field goal, 10:39. Jets 7–6. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 2:03. Top passers ARI – Ryan Lindley – 10/31, 72 yards, INT NYJ – Mark Sanchez – 10/21, 97 yards, 3 INT Top rushers ARI – Rashad Johnson – 1 rush, 40 yards NYJ – Shonn Greene – 24 rushes, 104 yards Top receivers ARI – Larry Fitzgerald – 1 reception, 23 yards NYJ – Stephen Hill – 5 receptions, 40 yardsIn a game most remembered as possibly the worst QB duel in NFL history, the Cardinals fell 7-6 marking their 8th straight loss. Week 14: at Seattle Seahawks Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Fourteen: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary December 9 2:25 pm. MST Cardinals 0 0 0 0 Seahawks 10 28 13 7 CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington 67,685 48 F C, rain Carl Cheffers Fox Chris Myers, Tim Ryan, and Jaime Maggio First quarter SEA – Stephen Hauschka 31-yard field goal, 10:04. Seahawks 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 2:01. SEA – Marshawn Lynch 20-yard run (Stephen Hauschka kick), 2:04. Seahawks 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 6:14. Second quarter SEA – Marshawn Lynch 4-yard run (Stephen Hauschka kick), 14:53. Seahawks 17–0. Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:11. SEA – Richard Sherman 19-yard interception return (Stephen Hauschka kick), 10:12. Seahawks 24–0. SEA – Malcolm Smith fumble recovery (Stephen Hauschka kick), 6:31. Seahawks 31–0. SEA – Zach Miller 24-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Stephen Hauschka kick), 0:06. Seahawks 38–0. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 0:13. Third quarter SEA – Marshawn Lynch 33-yard run (Stephen Hauschka kick), 11:08. Seahawks 45–0. Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 3:52. SEA – Stephen Hauschka 28-yard field goal, 7:47. Seahawks 48–0. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 2:36. SEA – Stephen Hauschka 32-yard field goal, 2:10. Seahawks 51–0. Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 2:43. Fourth quarter SEA – Leon Washington 3-yard run (Stephen Hauschka kick), 2:32. Seahawks 58–0. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:51. Top passers ARI – John Skelton – 11/24, 74 yards, 4 INT SEA – Russell Wilson – 7/13, 148 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ARI – William Powell – 5 rushes, 20 yards SEA – Marshawn Lynch – 11 rushes, 128 yards, 3 TD Top receivers ARI – Andre Roberts – 3 receptions, 36 yards SEA – Anthony McCoy – 3 receptions, 105 yards With the loss, the Cardinals were not only eliminated from postseason contention by falling to 4–9, but the 58-point loss was the worst in franchise history. They committed 8 turnovers, which was the most that the Cardinals have ever committed in a game. Arizona had only 154 yards of total offense while the defense gave up 493 yards. The Cardinals also became the first team in NFL history to lose 9 consecutive games after starting 4–0. Week 15: vs. Detroit Lions Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Fifteen: Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary December 16 2:05 pm. MST Lions 0 7 3 0 Cardinals 0 21 3 14 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 60,483 57 F C, sunny, clear skies (retractable roof open) Jerome Boger Fox Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jaime Maggio With this win, the Cardinals ended their 9 game losing streak. Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Sixteen: Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary December 23 2:25 pm. MST Bears 7 14 7 0 Cardinals 3 3 0 7 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 62,734 62 F C, sunny (retractable roof open) Terry McAulay Fox Dick Stockton, John Lynch and Jennifer Hale Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers Arizona Cardinals 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Seventeen: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary December 30 2:25 pm. MST Cardinals 3 3 0 7 49ers 0 7 10 10 Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California 69,732 50 F C, sunny Pete Morelli Fox Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Kristina Pink With this loss, the Cardinals surpassed the 1989 Chicago Bears for the worst record by an NFL team starting 4–0.Pro Football Reference; Team Record Finder Query Results: From 1961 to 2017, excluding 1982 and 1987, show the final records of teams that started 4–0 Standings Footnotes References External links http://www.azcardinals.com Arizona Category:Arizona Cardinals seasons Arizona