GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals had a chance Sunday. To end their recent misery and pull out a win on their home field. In overtime, the Cardinals needed a touchdown to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Not many in State Farm Stadium seemed to care.

Wait. That’s not true. Those still watching remained engaged. Many in the lower level stood in anticipation. But a good portion of the crowd of 62,413 had already left, eager to beat traffic. Empty seats throughout the stadium were hard to miss.

Some of this had to do with the opponent — Jacksonville is not a draw like Green Bay, Philadelphia or Dallas — but this latest Arizona free fall has not helped. The Cardinals have reached the point where the future holds more interest than the present.

Will head coach Jonathan Gannon return? (Best guess: Yes.)

Will injured quarterback Kyler Murray? (Best guess: No.)

For many NFL teams, this is a problem that surfaces in the final weeks. Here in the desert, however, there’s still a lot of season left. After Sunday’s 27-24 overtime loss to Jacksonville, Arizona still has six more games to go. The finish line is still not in focus.

The Cardinals are 3-8 overall and 1-5 at home. The bad part: They’re not as good as their record indicates. Two wins came the first two weeks, back when a lot of smart folks (this one included) thought this team could make the postseason. Since then, the Cardinals have lost eight of nine. The Tennessee loss in Week 5 remains the worst of this NFL season. The Titans have not won since, while the Cardinals have beaten only the Dallas Cowboys.

Arizona visits Tampa Bay next week. Then the Cardinals face the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals and Rams again. This could get worse.

The best news for fans: Their team played better Sunday. Unlike previous ugly losses to Seattle and San Francisco, the Cardinals showed pride. They battled. They led 21-17 in the fourth quarter. They took Jacksonville (7-4) to overtime. They had a chance to win.

But this team’s margin for error is as thin as its playoff chances. (You can play with The Athletic’s postseason simulator here. Be prepared — it’s not pretty for the Cardinals.)  When quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the second quarter missed an open receiver in the end zone, you might have felt like it would come back to haunt the Cardinals. When kicker Chad Ryland missed a 33-yard field goal on the next play, you knew it would.

And it did. But the Cardinals still had a chance.

Down 27-24 in overtime, Brissett led the Cardinals into Jacksonville territory. On fourth-and-4 from the Jacksonville 42 with four minutes left, Brissett threw deep to Xavier Weaver down the middle of the field. Weaver has great speed but also just three career catches. As soon as the ball left Brissett’s hand, everyone in the building — and probably those listening on the radio as they drove home on I-10 — knew it had little chance.

Incomplete. Game over.

Gannon said he loved Brissett’s decision — go win the game. But a first down would’ve kept the drive alive. Gannon also said Weaver was in single coverage, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a low-percentage play in a do-or-die moment.

“When you know they’re going to be in a certain coverage in a got-to-have-it (moment), you feel good about a 1-on-1 ball to win the game,” Gannon said.

Said Brissett: “I got to make a better throw.”

In last week’s loss to San Francisco, the Cardinals committed 17 penalties. They deserved to lose. On Sunday, they forced four turnovers — turning one fumble return into a touchdown — and still couldn’t find a way to win. That’s troublesome. Has been all season.

In the dressing room, the Cardinals talked about playing cleaner.

“A play here, a play there,” veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell said.

But overall the vibe wasn’t as dark as it has been. Is that acceptance? Determination? It’s hard to say. For better or worse, there’s still a lot of time. But it seems like everyone has waited for weeks for the Cardinals to respond.

“I’m a sore loser,” said safety Budda Baker, who registered an interception and half a sack. “We can play Rock, Paper, Scissors right now and I’ll be mad if you beat me. At the end of the day, we just have to continue to trust in the work.”

In other words, keep the faith.

“Me and (Gannon) were just talking,” Brissett said. “At some point, something’s going to go our way. But we got to make it go our way.”