Winning, not developing young players for the future, was the Cardinals’ goal for the final two weeks of the season, coach Bruce Arians said last week.
Turns out, winning and playing rookies are not mutually exclusive goals.
A handful of Cardinals rookies with little or no playing experience were forced into the lineup in Saturday’s 34-31 victory over the Seahawks, including the five draft picks remaining with the team.
None made heroic, game-changing plays that one day will be shown on NFL Network at 3 a.m. But they played, and the Cardinals handed the Seahawks their first home loss of the season.