Cardinals Turnaround
While the Cardinals struggled to fill Sun Devil Stadium, Bidwill publicly stated that fans would respond in greater numbers if given a better environment. He also emphasized that the team could not compete without the revenue streams a new stadium would bring. In three seasons at University of Phoenix Stadium the team has sold out all 32 games it has played there. The team is also coming off its most successful season in franchise history. The Cardinals won their division for the first time since 1975 and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1947. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round, beat the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional playoff round and topped the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. The Cardinals victory secured the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl appearance. In Super Bowl XLIII the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cardinals in Tampa, although the Cardinals valiantly overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to take a lead for two minutes with 2:30 to go but fell on a TD with 30 seconds to play.
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