1957 Chicago Cardinals season
Owner	Violet Bidwill Wolfner
Head coach	Ray Richards
Home field	Comiskey Park
Results
Record	3–9
Division place	6th NFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
← 1956 Cardinals seasons 1958 →

The 1957 Chicago Cardinals season marked the team's 38th year in the National Football League (NFL). The Cardinals failed to improve on their previous year's record of 7–5, winning only three games.^[1] They thus failed to qualify for the playoffs (NFL title game) for the ninth consecutive season.

After starting the season with an impressive 20–10 road win against the San Francisco 49ers, the 1957 Chicago Cardinals went into a funk, dropping 8 of the next 9 games, steadily sinking into irrelevancy. The team finished the year with a record of 3 wins and 9 losses — tied with the Green Bay Packers for the worst record in the 12-team league.^[2] The team gained a total of 3,217 yards in the 1957 campaign, again the second worst in the NFL.^[2] The team was slightly pass-driven for the era, gaining 1,775 yards in the air to just 1,442 on the ground, both of which marks were under the league average.^[2]

Defensively, the team allowed 4,108 yards in 1957, marred by the second-lowest rate of interception in the league and a net of -1 fumble recoveries.^[2]

The team's biggest star was powerful running back Ollie Matson, a future NFL Hall-of-Famer. Matson finished the 1957 season with 577 yards gained, sixth best in the league, with his season's best a 56-yard touchdown gallop.^[3] The passing offense was driven by quarterback Lamar McHan, who ended the season the league's 5th ranked QB, with 1,568 yards gained and 10 touchdown passes.^[4] His top target was end Gern Nagler, who grabbed 27 balls for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns — including one catch for 83 yards.^[5]

The team drew comparatively poorly, with only 2 of 6 home games topping the 20,000 mark at the gate. After just two more years they would abandon Chicago for a new city, becoming the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960.

After having dropped 5 of 6 preseason contests, the Chicago Cardinals came out swinging, pulling off a surprising non-conference upset win on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. A conservative bend-but-don't-break style defense was used by the Cardinals, who chose to gave up yardage on the ground in order to be "protected against the 'home run' type of play the Bay Area club used to compile a 5–1 exhibition record.^[6]

The magical start to the 1957 season came to a screeching halt with an embarrassing second half collapse against the Washington Redskins at Comisky Park. The Redskins piled up nearly 250 yards on the ground and scored 24 unanswered points after halftime in their decisive win, with quarterback Eddie LeBaron and his mates adding 180 yards in the air against the shell-shocked Chicago defense.^[10]

An unexpectedly large crown of 29,446 turned up to see the visiting Cardinals lose once again to Rooney U. in Pittsburgh — a tale of woe dating to their last victory in the Steel City in 1948.^[11] The game turned in the second quarter when the Cards attempted a 54-yard field goal off the toe of Pat Summerall, only to have it blocked by Pittsburgh middle guard Dale Dodrill and run back for a score by defensive end Huck O'Neil.^[11] Cardinal star Ollie Matson had a bad day at the office, gaining just 12 yards on 9 rushing attempts.^[11]

The Cardinals moved to a record of 2–2 with a victory over the Washington Redskins at Griffith Field. Card quarterback Lamar McHan was the star, passing for three touchdowns and running for another as Chicago took a 31–7 lead to halftime in a game that was never close.^[13] Powerful back Ollie Matson added 155 yards on the ground on just 13 carries — one of his two touchdown runs being a 56-yarder.^[14] The visiting Cardinals neatly avenged their second half collapse leading to a Week 2 drubbing by Eddie LaBaron and the Skins.

In a dull game pairing ineffectual running attacks, Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns overcame a 7–3 halftime deficit to beat Chicago. With the Cards down 10–7 in the fourth quarter and seemingly on the way to paydirt, a 15-yard holding penalty stalled their drive.^[15] Rookie quarterback Ted Marchibroda debuted for the Cards in the 4th but his first pass was a pick just outside his own red zone.^[15] While Chicago dodged that bullet, the Browns later drove the ball down the field and scored hen reserve QB Tommy O'Connell hit split end Preston Carpenter on a 14-yard crossing route for the final 17–7 margin.^[15]

As the 1957 season reached its midway point, the Cardinals' hopes began to wilt with a crushing 38–21 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Lamar McHan and halfback Ollie Matson had a productive day for Chicago, combining for 281 passing yards, with Matson scoring two touchdowns on the ground. However, a 6-to-3 turnover deficit proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for the Cards, who fell to 2–4 on the season. Five of the combined eight touchdowns scored as well as an Eagles field goal were set up by turnovers.^[17]

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Notes: 1. Some players played multiple positions. 2. †-Denotes member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Sources: Bob Carroll, et al., Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999; p. 1571 and Pro Football Reference.