1991 Phoenix Cardinals season

1991 Phoenix Cardinals season
OwnerBill Bidwill
General managerLarry Wilson
Head coachJoe Bugel
Home fieldSun Devil Stadium
Results
Record4–12
Division place5th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersSS Tim McDonald
P Rich Camarillo

The 1991 Phoenix Cardinals season was the 72nd season the team was in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous output of 5–11, winning only four games. After beginning the season 2–0, the Cardinals suffered a tough schedule and lost their last eight matches to finish 4–12.[1] This was the ninth consecutive season the Cardinals failed to qualify to the playoffs.

The Cardinals’ 196 points scored is the lowest total in franchise history for a 16-game season.[2]

Offseason

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NFL Draft

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Main article: 1991 NFL Draft
1991 Phoenix Cardinals draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 6 Eric Swann *  Defensive tackle Wake Technical CC
2 32 Mike Jones  Defensive end North Carolina State
3 59 Aeneas Williams * †  Cornerback Southern
4 86 Dexter Davis  Cornerback Clemson
5 117 Vince Hammond  Defensive tackle Clemson
6 144 Eduardo Vega  Offensive tackle Memphis
7 171 Ivory Lee Brown  Running back Arkansas–Pine Bluff
8 198 Greg Amsler  Running back Tennessee
8 204 Jerry Evans  Tight end Toledo
8 209 Scott Evans  Defensive end Oklahoma
10 255 Herbie Anderson  Defensive back Texas A&I
11 282 Nathan LaDuke  Defensive back Arizona State
12 309 Jeff Bridewell  Quarterback UC Davis
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

Undrafted free agents

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1991 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Donn Grimm Linebacker Notre Dame

Personnel

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Staff

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1991 Phoenix Cardinals staff

Front office

  • President – Bill Bidwill
  • Vice president and general manager – Larry Wilson
  • Director of pro personnel – Erik Widmark
  • Director of player personnel – George Boone

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Bob Rogucki


Roster

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1991 Phoenix Cardinals roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

47 active, 5 inactive, 4 practice squad Reserve

Rookies in italics

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 3 at Seattle Seahawks W 31–13 1–0 Kingdome 49,448
2 August 11 at Chicago Bears W 12–10 2–0 Soldier Field 55,513
3 August 17 New England Patriots W 46–0 3–0 Sun Devil Stadium 51,070
4 August 23 Denver Broncos W 34–10 4–0 Sun Devil Stadium 38,372

[4]

Regular season

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Schedule

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The 1991 Cardinals suffered from a very tough schedule playing in a powerful NFC East that provided the first four Super Bowl winners of the 1990s, and seven of ten between 1986 and 1995. Football statistics site Football Outsiders calculated that the 1991 Cardinals played the second-toughest schedule[note 1] based on strength of opponent of any NFL team between 1989 and 2013,[5] although Pro Football Reference argues that the 1991 Cardinals suffered the ninth toughest non-strike schedule since 1971.[note 2] The Cardinals played just two games against opponents with losing records – both amongst their first five games and both won – whilst ten opponents including all their last five finished 10–6 or better.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 1 at Los Angeles Rams W 24–14 1–0 Anaheim Stadium 47,069 Recap
2 September 8 at Philadelphia Eagles W 26–10 2–0 Veterans Stadium 63,818 Recap
3 September 15 at Washington Redskins L 0–34 2–1 RFK Stadium 54,662 Recap
4 September 22 Dallas Cowboys L 9–17 2–2 Sun Devil Stadium 68,814 Recap
5 September 29 New England Patriots W 24–10 3–2 Sun Devil Stadium 26,043 Recap
6 October 6 at New York Giants L 9–20 3–3 Giants Stadium 75,891 Recap
7 October 13 at Minnesota Vikings L 7–34 3–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 51,209 Recap
8 October 20 Atlanta Falcons W 16–10 4–4 Sun Devil Stadium 29,804 Recap
9 October 27 Minnesota Vikings L 0–28 4–5 Sun Devil Stadium 45,447 Recap
10 November 3 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–27 4–6 Texas Stadium 61,190 Recap
11 November 10 New York Giants L 14–21 4–7 Sun Devil Stadium 50,048 Recap
12 November 17 at San Francisco 49ers L 10–14 4–8 Candlestick Park 50,180 Recap
13 November 24 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–34 4–9 Sun Devil Stadium 37,307 Recap
14 Bye
15 December 8 Washington Redskins L 14–20 4–10 Sun Devil Stadium 48,373 Recap
16 December 15 at Denver Broncos L 19–24 4–11 Mile High Stadium 74,098 Recap
17 December 22 New Orleans Saints L 3–27 4–12 Sun Devil Stadium 30,928 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Los Angeles Rams

[edit]
Week 1: Phoenix Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 14 7 0324
Rams 0 7 7014

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

  • Date: September 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST/2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 47,069
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles

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Week 2: Phoenix Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 13 3 3726
Eagles 0 10 0010

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 8
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST/2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,818
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 3: at Washington Redskins

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Week 3: Phoenix Cardinals at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 0 000
Redskins 7 7 14634

at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, District of Columbia

  • Date: September 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 54,662
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 4: vs. Dallas Cowboys

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Week 4: Dallas Cowboys at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 14 0 0317
Cardinals 0 6 039

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: September 22
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,814
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 5: vs. New England Patriots

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Week 5: New England Patriots at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 0 7 0310
Cardinals 0 14 01024

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: September 29
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C)
  • Game attendance: 26,043
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 6: at New York Giants

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Week 6: Phoenix Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 0 609
Giants 14 3 0320

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 6
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,891
  • Box Score
Game information


Week 7: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week 7: Phoenix Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 0 077
Vikings 7 13 7734

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: None (Indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 51,209
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons

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Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 3 0010
Cardinals 3 0 10316

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C)
  • Game attendance: 29,804
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

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Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 7 71428
Cardinals 0 0 000

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: October 27
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 45,447
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys

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Week 10: Phoenix Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 7 007
Cowboys 10 0 71027

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. MST
  • Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 61,190
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 11: vs. New York Giants

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Week 11: New York Giants at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 7 7021
Cardinals 0 7 0714

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,048
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers

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Week 12: Phoenix Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 0 3710
49ers 0 7 0714

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST/2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,180
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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Week 13: Philadelphia Eagles at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 20 0 7734
Cardinals 7 7 0014

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 37,307
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 15: vs. Washington Redskins

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Week 15: Washington Redskins at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 0 14620
Cardinals 0 14 0014

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C)
  • Game attendance: 48,373
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 16: at Denver Broncos

[edit]
Week 16: Phoenix Cardinals at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 3 10619
Broncos 7 3 7724

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,098
  • Box Score
Game information

Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Week 17: New Orleans Saints at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 13 7727
Cardinals 3 0 003

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 30,928
  • Box Score
Game information

Standings

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NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Washington Redskins 14 2 0 .875 6–2 10–2 485 224 L1
(5) Dallas Cowboys 11 5 0 .688 5–3 8–4 342 310 W5
Philadelphia Eagles 10 6 0 .625 5–3 6–6 285 244 W1
New York Giants 8 8 0 .500 3–5 5–7 281 297 W1
Phoenix Cardinals 4 12 0 .250 1–7 3–11 196 344 L8

Notes

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  1. ^ The toughest schedule between 1989 and 2013 according to Football Outsiders was played by the 2004 Cleveland Browns.
  2. ^ Tougher schedules according to Pro Football Reference in non-strike seasons since 1971 were suffered by, in descending order of toughness, the 2010 Buffalo Bills, the 1975 Cleveland Browns and 1975 New York Jets (equal), the 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2010 Miami Dolphins, the 1979 Cincinnati Bengals, the 1977 Kansas City Chiefs and the 1973 San Francisco 49ers.

References

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  1. ^ 1991 Phoenix Cardinals
  2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2012, playing for the Ari (StL/Chi) Cardinals, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points For.
  3. ^ "1991 Phoenix Cardinals Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "1991 Phoenix Cardinals (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Football Outsiders; DVOA Analysis: ‘Let Me Check My Schedule’
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