Michael Wilson surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season, but the Arizona Cardinals ended their 2025 campaign with a 37-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. The defeat marked the ninth consecutive loss for the Cardinals, who finished with a 3-14 record and secured the third overall pick in April’s NFL draft. The Rams improved to 12-5 and clinched the NFC’s fifth playoff seed.
Despite setbacks during the game—including penalties that negated significant gains—Wilson managed five receptions for 99 yards, bringing his season totals to 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. Reflecting on reaching the milestone, Wilson said, “Honestly, I think the catch that I had, I was kind of keeping track naturally and then after I had the catch on the sideline, I was like, ‘that could be it.’ Then when I came on the sideline, everyone was like, ‘You did it. He did it. He did it.’ It’s really gratifying for sure.”
Head coach Jonathan Gannon commented on another challenging season: “Not a great (season). A lot of adversity. But growth will happen.” He expressed appreciation for his players’ effort throughout the year: “I am grateful for them,” Gannon said. “If it weren’t for those guys in the locker room, it would not be a fun job.”
Tight end Trey McBride contributed seven catches in Sunday’s game. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 22 of 31 passes for 243 yards but endured six sacks.
Wilson acknowledged both individual achievement and team goals: “The ultimate goal is to win the game,” he said. “But this is a game of doing your 1/11th and if you’re doing your own 11th, you’re doing what’s in your power to help the team win games. And I feel like I’ve done that, especially since my number was called and I stepped into a new role.”
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell praised several teammates’ performances despite ongoing losses: “Watching ’85’ (McBride) play football, ’10’ (Josh Sweat) play football, ’14’ (Wilson) play football, even though we are losing, it’s cool to see greatness.”
Players continued to voice support for Gannon’s leadership amid speculation about coaching staff changes. Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson stated: “JG, that’s my guy,” Tomlinson said. “I would play into the ground for that man. The belief is always there, it’s just the small details as players. We got to correct that on the field and we can’t let small things become big things.”
After leading briefly in the third quarter following Josiah Deguara’s touchdown reception—which gave Arizona a 20-16 advantage—the Cardinals were overtaken by two long Rams touchdown drives sandwiched around an unsuccessful offensive series.
Other notable performances included safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson combining for 19 tackles; punter Matt Haack completing a fake punt pass and averaging over 54 yards per punt; linebacker Josh Sweat achieving his career-high twelfth sack; while injuries affected cornerback Will Johnson and linebacker Channing Tindall.
Looking ahead to next season remains uncertain as roster changes are expected beyond core contributors such as Wilson and McBride.
“You have to create a family environment to play this game,” Campbell said. “You win and lose together. When there are tough times, that’s when you get closer together. You wish it led to more wins, but it’s still fun.”
