Quarterbacks run the show in the NFL. You need a good one for success. Often, you need a great one to have deep-playoff success.
Check out last year’s final four starting quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Josh Allen (Bills). Mahomes, Allen, Hurts, along with the Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, might be the NFL’s best in terms of talent and ability to win games.
But, great quarterbacks aren’t a guarantee for making the playoffs or postseason success. But, the cleanest, most efficient way might be riding your quarterback.
In 2024, the Cardinals lost to five established quarterbacks, two likely future Hall of Famers (Allen and Matthew Stafford) second-year resurgent starter Bryce Young and rookie sensation Daniels:
- Josh Allen, Bills, 34-28
Jared Goff, Lions, 20-13
Jayden Daniels, Commanders, 42-14
Jordan Love, Packers, 34-13
Geno Smith, Seahawks, 16-6
Sam Darnold, Vikings, 23-22
Geno Smith, Seahawks, 30-18
Bryce Young, Panthers, 36-30 OT
Matthew Stafford, Rams, 13-9
An 8-9 Arizona record was a four-win improvement from 2023, the first season under coach Jonathan Gannon. One sure prediction: Kyler Murray must consistently play well to give Arizona the best chance to win games.
Outlook for Cardinals in 2025 vs. opposing quarterbacks
What might 2025 look like for Arizona? No one is that smart, so we look for clues, trends and analytics for special insight. One analytical way to look — given the influence of quarterbacks — is to see which QBs the Cardinals are scheduled to play and how they compare with Murray.
Sept. 7: at Saints (Advantage Cardinals)
New Orleans’ depth chart, per ESPN, lists rookie Tyler Shough as the starter, with Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and Hunter Dekkers as backups. There aren’t many NFL games when a team has such as clear-cut advantage at quarterback as the Cardinals have here.
Sept. 14: Panthers (Advantage Cardinals)
Carolina’s Bryce Young, in his third year, was all but given up for good before rallying in the second half of last season.
Sept. 21: at 49ers (Advantage 49ers)
San Francisco’s Brock Purdy has a newly signed five-year, $265 million contract. He has an excellent three-year passer rating average of 104.9. He could be a problem.
Sept. 25: Seahawks (Advantage Seahawks)
Seattle has a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, who was traded from the Vikings. Darnold had a career year in 2024. Will that carry over in Seattle? His performance likely will be the key to the Seahawks' season.
Oct. 5: Titans (Advantage Cardinals)
By Week 5, the Cardinals should expect to see No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward. Most rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle. Will Levis started 12 games in 2024, but if he were the answer, Tennessee wouldn’t have drafted Ward.
Oct. 12: at Colts (Advantage Cardinals)
Indy should have an interesting training camp with wildly erratic Anthony Richardson competing with wildly underachieving Daniel Jones, the former Giant.
Oct. 19: Packers (Advantage Packers)
Jordan Love has established himself in Green Bay, with an even brighter future. Love should be even more effective with speedy draft pick Matthew Golden, the Texas wide receiver.
Nov. 3: at Cowboys (Advantage Cowboys)
If Dak Prescott is healthy, Dallas should have an advantage. Getting Dak to Week 10 might be saying something.
Nov. 9 at Seahawks (Advantage Seahawks)
Still think Darnold has the advantage over Murray, especially in Seattle.
Nov. 16: 49ers (Advantage 49ers)
Still betting on Purdy, even on the road.
Nov. 23: Jaguars (Advantage Cardinals)
Trevor Lawrence has been so-so as an overall No. 1 pick. Sound familiar? Many experts say the same about Murray. I’d go with Murray as a slightly better QB than Lawrence based on Kyler’s running game.
Nov. 30 at Buccaneers (Advantage Buccaneers)
Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield, another reclamation project, has led the Bucs to the playoffs the last two years. Mayfield has become a quality QB. In 2024, he completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Dec. 7: Rams (Advantage Rams)
Matthew Stafford, 37, has won a Super Bowl and is coming off an outstanding 2024. The Rams nearly beat the Eagles in the divisional round.
Dec. 14: at Texans (Advantage Cardinals)
In his two seasons, Stroud has led Houston to the playoffs each time. The Texans have won a playoff game in each season. Many experts love Stroud’s upside but he might be another year of success and seasoning away from being elite.
Dec. 21: Falcons (Advantage Cardinals)
Michael Penix took over for Kurt Cousins in Atlanta last year and showed enough to think he’s the Falcons’ future.
Dec. 27-28: at Bengals (Advantage Bengals)
Burrow is one of the best in the league, easily in the top-5. Cincinnati’s struggles are on defense, not with Burrow.
Jan. 3-4 at Rams (Advantage Rams)
A yes vote for Stafford.
The tally
Opposing quarterbacks have the advantage over Murray, 10-7. Of course, that doesn’t mean Arizona will go 7-10 this season. Far from it.
The Cardinals only play one of the Big 5 QBs in the league — Burrow. But they play many of the next-tier QBs — Stafford, Mayfield, Prescott, Love, Purdy, Darnold (if he continues his excellent play from 2024).
I would put Murray below this next-tier group. With a full season of head-to-head matchups, Murray can take a gigantic career leap forward and move from perplexing to elite-ish.