5 NFL teams that lost Week 1 and will make the playoffs

4. Arizona Cardinals

Picked by many “experts” to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals had everything in place to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday night in Glendale. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski were out, but backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was efficient as could be all night long and got the victory.

Of course, that missed 47-yard field goal with 36 seconds left had something to do with it as well. Holder Drew Butler tried to salvage the bad snap from rookie Kameron Canaday but the damage was done as kicker Chandler Catanzaro’s attempt hooked left to seal the 0-1 start for Arizona.

While Carson Palmer definitely didn’t play the best game he’s ever played, there were some very good signs for the Arizona offense. Larry Fitzgerald turned back the clock a bit with a great performance, including a fantastic over-the-shoulder catch in the endzone and David Johnson looked very good in his effort to prove that his rookie year was no accident.

The defense has a little bit of work to do, especially on third down, as they allowed New England to convert 10-of-16 chances, but again, they were still in position to win the game. They’re going to have a battle on their hands with the Seattle Seahawks for the division crown, but even if they don’t get that, they’re likely to snatch up one of the Wild Card spots in the NFC.

Up next for Arizona is a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Next: Jacksonville Jaguars