The Arizona Cardinals offence wasn’t just bad on Saturday, it was the worst. Ever.
Led by third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley, the Cardinals set a new mark of ineptitude after finishing with just 78 yards of total offence against the Carolina Panthers — an NFL post-season record.
The Cardinals finished with 27 yards on the ground while Lindley was bad in throwing for 82 yards (the net yards dropped to 51 yards after accounting for Carolina’s four sacks).
But just how bad was Arizona’s offensive performance? Here’s how it stacks up against the rest of the worst:
Cleveland Browns: 86 total yards, 1958 Eastern Conference Championship
Surprised to see Cleveland on this list? Neither are we.
The Browns racked up 86 yards in a 10-0 loss to the New York Giants, as quarterbacks Milt Plum and Jim Ninowski combined to complete 10 passes — two more than the Giants, strangely enough — and were sacked six times for a loss of 52 yards.
Hall of Famer Jim Brown wasn’t much better, picking up eight yards on seven carries.
Chicago Cardinals: 99 total yards, 1948 NFL Championship
Given the conditions of the 1948 NFL Championship Game, it’s surprising the Cardinals were able to put up as much offence as they did.
The Cardinals completed only three passes on the day, which was actually one better than the Eagles were able to muster, and finished with 99 yards in a 7-0 defeat.
Los Angeles Rams: 109 total yards, 1949 NFL Championship
Rain wreaked havoc at the 1949 NFL Championship game in Los Angeles, as the Rams were unable to get anything going on the muddy terrain.
Los Angeles finished with just 21 rushing yards on 24 attempts and wasn’t much better through the air, compiling 88 yards to bring its total offence on the day to 109 yards.
New York Giants: 112 total yards, 1943 Eastern Division Championship
New York’s quarterbacks in the 1943 Eastern Division championship game make Ryan Lindley look like Tom Brady.
Emery Nix completed 2-of-10 passes for 13 yards, while Tuffy Leemans put up 44 yards through the air and lost 25 yards on the ground.
In total, the Giants finished with 112 yards in a 28-0 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Minnesota Vikings: 114 total yards, 2000 NFC Championship
Arizona’s performance might be the worst statistically, but it wasn’t nearly as ugly as Minnesota’s 41-0 loss to the New York Giants in the 2000 NFC title game.
The Vikings recorded 114 yards in the loss — the most lopsided in NFC Championship Game history — thanks in part to an awful day from QB Daunte Culpepper, who completed 13-of-28 passes for 78 yards and three interceptions.
