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New Year's resolution: Don't have second-half meltdowns

Even though Arizona won Sunday in Dallas, the Cardinals have lost five of their past nine, which gives Kliff Kingsbury a second-half slide in every season he has been a head coach. If this season's slide hadn't happened, the Cardinals would have likely won the NFC West by now and possibly been competing for or have captured the No. 1 seed in the entire conference. On top of all that, they could've been looking at 14 or 15 wins. It's something Kingsbury needs to work on because it lowers his ceiling, and with a quarterback like Kyler Murray, having a limit to what a team can do on the field isn't the way to win Super Bowls. -- Josh Weinfuss

Boy, did the Cardinals need that. Arizona went to Dallas on Sunday and picked up the most important win of its season, a 25-22 conquest that breathed some much-needed confidence back into the team. Kyler Murray improved to 8-0 lifetime in games started at AT&T Stadium dating back to his high school hero days, while the beleaguered Cards defense held down a Cowboys attack that dropped 56 points on Washington seven days earlier. Arizona finished the regular season 8-1 away from State Farm Stadium -- good news for a team that could be on the road in the first week of the playoffs.

Winning at Dallas to snap a three-game losing streak was impressive. The defense was outstanding.

Given QB Kyler Murray is now 8-0 as a starter AT&T Stadium -- including high school and college -- Arizona might want to ensure its projected playoff rematch against Dallas holds.

Future MVP: Kyler Murray. A potential narrative flip is looming. Murray will either exit the playoffs as a thrilling talent the masses believe can lead a contending team all the way, or as a head-scratching quarterback still leaving onlookers wanting more. The good news is that Murray, now a two-time Pro Bowler, won't even turn 25 until August. He'll also never, ever lose again if he just plays every game in Jerry World.