If you are looking for a quick answer to how many super bowls do the cardinals have, the number is zero. Honestly, it’s a tough pill to swallow for one of the oldest franchises in all of professional sports. They have been around since the late 1800s, moving from Chicago to St. Louis and eventually landing in the Arizona desert, but that elusive Lombardi Trophy hasn’t made the trip yet.
They aren't "champions" in the modern sense. Not since the Super Bowl became the gold standard in 1967.
The One That Got Away: Super Bowl XLIII
The closest they ever came—and I mean literally inches away—was February 1, 2009. You might remember it. It was the year Kurt Warner, basically back from the career dead, led a 9-7 squad on a playoff tear that nobody saw coming. They weren't supposed to be there. Most experts thought they’d be a "one and done" team in the Wild Card round.
Instead, they beat the Falcons, crushed the Panthers, and survived a shootout against the Eagles to reach Super Bowl XLIII.
It was a game of legendary moments. Larry Fitzgerald, playing like a man possessed, caught a 64-yard touchdown pass that put Arizona up 23-20 with only 2:37 left on the clock. For a few minutes there, it looked like the desert was finally going to get its parade.
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Then came the heartbreak.
The Pittsburgh Steelers marched down the field, and Santonio Holmes made a toe-tapping catch in the corner of the end zone that still haunts Cardinals fans' dreams. Final score: 32-27. It’s often cited as one of the greatest games ever played, but for the "Red Sea," it’s just the biggest "what if" in franchise history.
Wait, Don't They Have Two Championships?
This is where things get a bit technical. If you’re asking about how many super bowls do the cardinals have, the answer is zero. But if you ask how many NFL championships they have, the answer is actually two.
- 1925: The Chicago Cardinals were awarded the title in a bit of a controversial fashion involving the Pottsville Maroons. It's a weird piece of NFL lore involving a suspended team and a "disputed" trophy.
- 1947: This was the real deal. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21. This was back in the "Million Dollar Backfield" era.
It has been over 75 years since that 1947 win. That is currently the longest active championship drought in North American professional sports. Think about that for a second. Entire generations of fans have lived and died without seeing this team win it all.
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Why the Drought Has Lasted This Long
Success for the Cardinals has been sporadic. Since moving to Arizona in 1988, they’ve had some incredible flashes—the 2015 season with Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians comes to mind—but they haven't been able to sustain it.
The team has a 7-10 all-time playoff record. Most of those wins happened during that 2008 run or the 2015 push. For the rest of their 100-plus year history? A lot of lean years.
Instability at quarterback and frequent coaching changes have basically been the story. You have these incredible icons like Larry Fitzgerald, who stayed for 17 seasons and never complained, but the front office couldn't always put the right pieces around him.
What’s Next for the Arizona Cardinals?
Right now, the team is in another rebuilding phase under Jonathan Gannon. Kyler Murray is the franchise centerpiece, and the hope is that the young talent from recent drafts can finally break the curse.
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So, while the answer to how many super bowls do the cardinals have is still zero, the fan base stays loyal. They’ve seen how close it can get. They know that in the NFL, things can flip in a single season.
If you want to keep tabs on their progress toward that first trophy, your best bet is to follow the local beat reporters like Darren Urban or check out the official team injury reports during the season. Tracking their draft capital is also key, as that’s where the next championship foundation will be built.
Watch the upcoming off-season moves carefully. Specifically, keep an eye on how they address the defensive line and whether they can find a true "WR1" to replicate that Fitzgerald-era magic. That is the only way that "zero" in the trophy case ever becomes a "one."