We’re 100 days out from the 2025 NFL season, and that usually means a few things. Training camps are underway. Furniture retailers in Buffalo are placing orders for all the folding tables Bills fans will dive through. And analysts are making their predictions, using the extensive— and sometimes not-so-extensive —knowledge at their fingertips.
Such is the case with Sports Illustrated analyst Connor Orr, who has been making 100 bold predictions for the NFL for the last three years. Some of them are on point (NFL teams passing less, Ashon Jeanty as Offensive Rookie of the Year) while others come off if Orr switched his crystal ball to a beaten-up pigskin.
(Case in point: Orr thinks Super Bowl LX’s halftime show will feature a slew of new country artists. But last year, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation extended its partnership with the NFL to produce the halftime show. Following Kendrick Lamar with Morgan Wallen seems out of place. My money’s on Megan Thee Stallion or Bad Bunny.)
But what he says about their upcoming win-loss record is aggravating.
‘SI’ Analyst Predicts Arizona Cardinals Won’t Get More Than 8 Wins
In the past, Orr wasn’t kind to Cardinals fans. To be honest, the Cardinals haven’t been kind to Cardinals fans, either.
But this year, the Sports Illustrated writer is predicting doom and gloom. It’s Kyler Murray’s last year! The Cards will finish last in the NFC West! The 49ers will have 12 wins! The Cards will start off strong but “struggle overall,” and when they do well, it “will be remembered by almost no human!”
On top of that, Orr doesn’t think the Cardinals will beat the Vegas-projected win total of 8.5 games.
“These win totals, provided by BetMGM, will pay out for those wagering on the under. Washington’s merciless schedule, Miami’s hollow roster and Arizona’s trouble staying afloat in a very resurgent NFC West will contribute to what fans may consider a disappointing season on all fronts, unless, of course, they hedge their personal feelings with a counter wager against their teams’ success.”
In Orr’s eyes, the best the Cardinals can do is repeat the 8-9 record from last year.
Is he right?
A Pessimist Thinks Orr is Right
Arizona opens up with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, two games Orr thinks the Cardinals will easily win.
From there, it’s off to face the San Francisco 49ers, who Orr thinks will win 12 games due to having the “most generous schedule in football” and a healthy Christian McCaffrey (who Orr thinks will win Comeback Player of the Year). Orr also believes that the 49ers' having the best rest differential in the NFC West will factor in, but Sumer Sports notes that a 2024 report indicates that rest differentials don’t impact the game as much as they used to.
If Orr’s prediction of a 49ers resurgence is correct, then it may spell early doom for the Cardinals.
After the 9/21 game in San Francisco, the Cardinals just get three days to recover before hosting the Seattle Seahawks on 9/25. Losing to the 49ers means going into the Seahawks game without the winning momentum needed for the second of these back-to-back matches.
The Cards couldn’t beat the Seahawks in 2024. Assuming Seattle still has Arizona’s number and the 49ers aren’t complete trash, the Cards will be 2-2 when they face the Titans (3-14 in 2024), Colts (8-9) and Packers (11-6).
At best, they’ll head into the bye week with a 4-3 record. At worst, 3-4.
After the bye, it’s the Dallas Cowboys, the Seahawks-49ers two-step again, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Cardinals go winless against their NFC West rivals and Tampa Bay remains strong from last season, the Cards could finish this stretch either 6-6 (with wins over the Jags and dysfunctional Cowboys) or 4-8.
Then, the hard part starts.
The NFL didn’t do the Cardinals any favor with the last third of its season. They kick off this final section by facing the Los Angeles Rams, which leads to the Houston Texans (10-7), the Atlanta Falcons (8-9), the Cincinnati Bengals (9-8), and then back to the Rams again.
Arizona split the series with the Rams last season. Let’s say they do that again. So, if the Cardinals manage to secure a win over one of those other teams, then they’ll end the season with either another 8-9 record or 6-11.
But, if they do get cooked, they’ll limp to a 7-10 record at best, or a 5-12 record at worst.
An Optimist Thinks Orr Is Wrong
Let’s say Arizona splits the wins between the Seahawks and the Rams. Let’s say the 49ers are still rebuilding and can’t get past the Cards’ strengthened defense. Let’s say Arizona replicates last year’s early momentum with wins over the Titans and Colts. Let’s say they put up a hard-fought effort against the Packers, but go into the bye week with a 6-1 record.
Let’s say this isn’t the Cowboys' year again. Let’s say the Jags don’t have it, and Arizona upsets the Bucs. Let’s say the Texans stay strong, that Atlanta doesn’t, that the Bengals win but the Rams lose.
Let’s say Arizona goes 12-5. That’s very optimistic. But if you take away those predicted wins over Dallas, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay, it’s still 9-8.
I have been a Cardinals fan longer than I should have. I expect nothing from this team, and I’m pleasantly surprised when they give me something good. If they were to maintain the 8-9 record from last year, at least they didn’t get worse.
But a 9-8 record would be hilariously infuriating. It’s good enough to beat the under in Vegas, but it’s not good enough for the playoffs, especially since the NFC West is as competitive as we think it’ll be.
But it’s not beyond reason to think that Arizona can continue its upward momentum. A 10-win season isn’t out of reach.
However, if it falls apart early, the Cardinals could tank in hopes of securing the No. 1 pick and drafting Arch Manning in the 2026 draft.
If there’s anything to help soothe Cardinals fans’ anger over this prediction, it’s that Orr isn’t a football Nostradamus. He thought the Detroit Lions would defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in last year’s Super Bowl, the Jets would win the AFC East, Aaron Donald would un-retire to rejoin the Rams, and that the Cardinals would “go undefeated from the end of October all the way through mid-December.”
Shame that last one didn’t come true.