The stakes were clear for the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5: A win was mandatory.

As far as the standings go, moving to 2-3 might not have been a death knell. But losing to an 0-4 Tennessee Titans team — the worst in football after a month of play — at home? After two consecutive divisional losses? With a sputtering offense?

Considering the pre-season expectations, that defeat would have marked the low point of Jonathan Gannon’s tenure. It would have amplified the questions, those familiar ones about where they go from here.

So that was pre-game. Then the Cardinals went up, 21-3. They were in complete command — again, against the worst team in the NFL.

And somehow, they still lost. Take all those pre-game assumptions about a defeat and multiply them by 10. Looking for a free mini puz

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