# 1942 Chicago Cardinals season

The 1942 Chicago Cardinals season was the 23rd season the team was in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 3–7–1, losing eight games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season.

## Schedule

The Cards opened their 1942 regular season schedule playing the Cleveland Rams at Civic Stadium in Buffalo, New York. This was a regularly scheduled event. The team also played two regularly-scheduled home games at night — September 20 against the Detroit Lions and October 4 against the Green Bay Packers.
The team also played an exhibition game during a bye week against the Wichita Aero Commandos, a team associated with a military materiel factory. The game was a mismatch won by the visiting professionals 35–7 in front of a crowd estimated at 4,000 — said to be the biggest of the year for the venue. During this game the Cardinals injured and ended the season of the star quarterback of the Aero Commandos, Ralph Miller — a three sport athlete drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1942 NFL draft who later became a Hall of Fame basketball coach.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 13 | vs. Cleveland Rams | W 7–0 | 1–0 | Buffalo Civic Stadium | 18,698 | Recap |
| 2 | September 20 | Detroit Lions | W 13–0 | 2–0 | Comiskey Park | 14,742 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | Green Bay Packers | L 13–17 | 2–1 | Comiskey Park | 24,897 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–41 | 2–2 | Wrigley Field | 38,500 | Recap |
| 5 | October 18 | at Detroit Lions | W 7–0 | 3–2 | Briggs Stadium | 14,100 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | at Cleveland Rams | L 3–7 | 3–3 | League Park | 7,896 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | at Green Bay Packers | L 24–55 | 3–4 | City Stadium | 14,782 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | at Washington Redskins | L 0–28 | 3–5 | Griffith Stadium | 35,425 | Recap |
| — | November 15 | at Wichita Aero Commandos | W 35–7 | — | Lawrence Stadium | 4,000 | |
| 9 | November 22 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–19 | 3–6 | Forbes Field | 20,711 | Recap |
| 10 | November 29 | at New York Giants | L 7–21 | 3–7 | Polo Grounds | 20,354 | Recap |
| 11 | December 6 | Chicago Bears | L 7–21 | 3–8 | Comiskey Park | 8,251 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. • September 20, October 4: Saturday night games |||||||||

## Standings

NFL Western Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Chicago Bears | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 8–0 | 376 | 84 | W11 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 6–2 | 300 | 215 | W2 |
| Cleveland Rams | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 3–5 | 150 | 207 | L1 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 3–5 | 98 | 209 | L6 |
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 11 | 0 | .000 | 0–8 | 38 | 263 | L11 |
       Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Eastern Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 1 | 0 | .909 | 7–1 | 227 | 102 | W9 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 5–3 | 167 | 119 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | 4–4 | 155 | 139 | W2 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 2–6 | 100 | 168 | L6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 134 | 239 | L1 |
       Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.