Arians rebuilt the defense in the off-season and overcame a host of injuries, including those to quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton, who have been sidelined. Ryan Lindley, a little-used replacement, is expected to make his playoff debut against the Panthers. Although the offense has scored only 27 touchdowns, Arians has managed to go 7-1 in games decided by 10 or fewer points.

“This ‘next man up’ is real,” Bidwill said, referring to the team’s roster depth and its ability to play well despite injuries. “And what we’ve done with a third-string quarterback is amazing.”

If the Cardinals continue to defy the odds this month, they could become the first team to host a Super Bowl. The game will be played in Glendale on Feb. 1, a fact not lost on Bidwill, who pushed hard for its to return to Arizona despite logistical hiccups the last time it was here, in 2008.

Whether the Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history, Bidwill’s profile in the N.F.L. is sure to rise. Last month, Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed him to lead a committee of nine owners that will oversee the N.F.L.’s enhanced personal conduct policy, a prominent role given the scope of the domestic violence crisis that engulfed the league this season.

Goodell needs Bidwill to help him dig out of the legal and public relations quagmire that followed his mishandling of the scandals involving Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and even Jonathan Dwyer, a Cardinals running back who was charged with assaulting his wife and put on the team’s reserve list. Dwyer has not played since.

Image Bidwill was a ball boy when the Cardinals played in St. Louis. Credit... Nick Cote for The New York Times

Bidwill has a unique skill set. Before joining the Cardinals’ front office in 1996, he was a prosecutor in the United States attorney’s office in Phoenix, where he worked in the violent crimes unit. Goodell hopes Bidwill will help keep the league’s policies up to date.