It was over for the Arizona Cardinals, right?

It was over, right?

So much so that I left the camp in front of my TV where I had just watched the Cardinals position themselves to easily dispatch the Titans. Soon their record would be 9-5. It was a mere formality at that point.

So I left.

It only took about 10 minutes to go from my house to my dad’s house for dinner but by the time I got there it was a tie ballgame.

Eventually, of course, the Cardinals came back to win the game in overtime. I agree with Peter King in his Monday Morning Quarterback column: it was an odd decision by Mike Munchak to not go for two at the end (King actually called it “terrible” in his column). Earlier in the day I saw Mike Shanahan have one of those aw-what-the-hell type moments by going for two. I would’ve thought Munchak would’ve been just as daring.

The Cardinals came this (fingers a centimeter apart) close to having their slim playoff hopes dashed in a most embarrassing fashion: a blown 17-point fourth-quarter lead with six minutes to go.

It’s hard to give them credit for salvaging a game that their own lack of interest nearly cost them but it’s necessary. They could’ve folded but didn’t. There is value in that — just as there is value in clinching just their fourth winning season since moving to the Valley, a feat that was sealed with their ninth win Sunday.

For some that might be a depressing note, but keep in mind: three of those seasons have occurred out of the last six years and, since moving into University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cardinals have five seasons of .500 ball or better. The times have changed around here for certain.

Right now, the Cardinals are standing behind the velvet ropes hoping to get into the party with a little help from the bouncers. But the 49ers and Panthers aren’t being very accommodating. Getting in is a long shot but, frankly, so was overtime when you had a 17-point lead with six minutes to play.

Stranger things have happened, as was evidenced Sunday.

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