season, the Cardinals outscored their opponents by 57 points, but suffered eight losses by seven points or less, five of those setbacks coming to playoff teams. A three-game winning streak to close the season, including a 17–6 triumph over the playoff-bound Giants, was not enough to save Bugel's job. Ryan era (1994–95) In March 1994, Bill Bidwill bowed to fan preference and renamed the team the Arizona Cardinals. Bidwill had rebuffed earlier entreaties, citing the NFL's tradition of team names that identified home cities – even though the Cardinals did not actually play in Phoenix, and that the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots were longstanding exceptions (also, the Carolina Panthers were set to start play the following year). The rest of the NFL owners quickly approved the name change. Buddy Ryan replaced Bugel in 1994, also serving as his own general manager. With typical bluster, he declared, "You've got a winner in town." He guaranteed victory in the 1994 week 3 game at the Cleveland Browns, which Cleveland subsequently won, 32–0. The Cardinals, who ranked third in the NFL in total defense in 1994 but suffered from a lack of consistency at quarterback, entered the final week of the season with an outside chance at a playoff berth, but a 10–6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons ended those hopes as Arizona finished 8–8. The 1995 season saw the Cardinals drop to 4–12, including an embarrassing 27–7 loss to the expansion Carolina Panthers. Ryan was fired on December 26, less than 24 hours after the Cardinals lost 37–13 to the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Dallas returned to Sun Devil Stadium 34 days later and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. Tobin era (1996–2000) 1996 Ryan was followed by Vince Tobin, who improved the Cardinals to 7–9 in 1996, led by defensive end Simeon Rice, the third overall pick who became the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and a rejuvenated Boomer Esiason at quarterback. Esiason threw for 522 yards in an overtime victory over the Washington Redskins in the Cardinals' final game at RFK Stadium, and two weeks later led a fourth-quarter comeback against the playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles. The 1996 season also featured a lowlight: a 31–21 loss at home to the New York Jets, the only game the Jets won during a 1–15 season. 1997 The Cardinals fell back to 4–12 in 1997, but that season