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Best-case scenario: They find a way to sneak into the playoffs. Arizona has lost three in a row and four of five. If the season ended today, the Cardinals would miss the playoffs because the Vikings have the tiebreaker over them. Arizona's 38-28 loss to the Rams probably shouldn't have even been that close. The Cardinals had a goal-line stand, and the Rams had a muffed punt. Having said that, the Cardinals are still alive. They face the Giants, Eagles, 49ers and Rams the rest of the way. Having Kyler Murray in the playoffs would be fun.

The offense has struggled the past three weeks in three straight losses. Can they get it back on track against an improved Giants team?

QB Kyler Murray averaging 20.3 rushing yards per game during Arizona's three-week free fall as defenses look to contain him to the pocket -- apparently a wise strategy.

Person with most at stake: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury

While Kingsbury's job isn't in jeopardy at the moment, a bad finish won't sit well with ownership, which hired him to win and win now -- and that was expected when it paired Kyler Murray with him and then brought in DeAndre Hopkins this offseason. The tools are there, and they've worked at times. The Cardinals started 5-2, but they are 1-4 in their past five games. If the Cards finish with only a win or two in their final nine contests, Kingsbury will enter the 2021 season on the hot seat despite finishing with more victories than he had in 2019. -- Josh Weinfuss

The Cardinals' dream of winning the NFC West died on Sunday -- now it's on Kliff Kingsbury and Co. to figure out a way to keep this once-promising season from circling the drain. Kyler Murray was bottled up once again, this time by Aaron Donald and the Rams' defense, and the Cardinals continue to show they cannot win when they don't get a special performance from their second-year quarterback. To that point, remove one Hail Murray from the equation, and Arizona is riding a five-game losing streak right now. "We kind of hit a wall as far as offensively," Murray said of the team's performance in recent weeks. Week 14's matchup with the surging Giants is a virtual must-win.