GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even on a pair of NFL teams that were eliminated from contention for playoff berths with a month or more remaining in the 2025 regular season, there are star players shining.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson will try to add more superb performances to their stellar individual seasons when their teams meet in the desert Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium.
The Falcons (5-9) had lost seven of eight games — including an ugly 37-9 outcome at home against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 7, which took Atlanta out of the postseason chase and clinched the franchise’s eighth straight losing season — before beating the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the four-time reigning NFC South champions, 29-28 in a division matchup on Dec. 11. That was the Thursday night game in Week 15, so the Falcons have enjoyed a little more time to rest and prepare for this one as they seek what would be their first back-to-back victories since they were 3-2 in mid-October.
The Cardinals (3-11) have dropped six straight games — including a 20-17 loss at Tampa Bay on Nov. 30 that eliminated Arizona from the playoff hunt — and are the only team in the highly competitive NFC West without a double-digit win total this season as the Seattle Seahawks (12-3), Los Angeles Rams (11-4) and San Francisco 49ers (10-4) all remain in contention for the division title.
That’s the team picture, though; McBride and Robinson, each a Pro Bowl selection for the first time last season, have been consistent bright spots even in largely dark times.