Arizona Cardinals: 3 dream scenarios for the upcoming schedule release

The Arizona Cardinals schedule release will go live tomorrow evening. However, we already know who the Cards play, so let’s outline an ideal scenario.

The Arizona Cardinals are inching closer to finding out when they will play their 17 opponents next season. We already know who they are playing against, so we can concoct a few dream scenarios that could give them the best chance to win in 2023. 

Sure, the Cards are projected to finish roughly 4-13, 5-12, or worse. But if the dominoes land correctly, they just might attain a more desirable outcome. Let’s explore three dream scenarios for the upcoming schedule. 

3 desired outcomes for the Arizona Cardinals schedule release

1 - Cards open the season against a weak opponent

This would be an ideal situation for the Arizona Cardinals, but also one for their opponents, I get it. But the point is, we need a winnable game early. The Cards didn’t get this last season, having opened the year against the eventual Super Bowl champion, the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Looking at the schedule, I’d ideally like to see the Cards play on the road, since they’ve struggled at State Farm Stadium over the past two seasons. Facing the Washington Commanders would be great, or the Houston Texans. 

2 - Cardinals will play back-to-back games at midseason vs. a weak opponent

In the above scenario, we got the Cardinals (hopefully) kicking the season off against either the Commanders or the Texans. In Weeks 8 and 10, I’d like to see back-to-back games against two more weak opponents, with a bye coming in Week 9. 

This time, let’s roll with one home game against the Atlanta Falcons, and a road game against the Cleveland Browns. While many have the Browns faring better this season, quarterback DeShaun Watson was rusty in his six games, and Nick Chubb is getting to the age when running backs are starting to slow down. That said, I’d be gracious for a midseason game at Cleveland. 

3 - Two of the last three games come against division rivals

Overall, I’d like to see the Arizona Cardinals play two intra-divisional opponents in the final weeks. This gives them a chance to start the season well against weaker talent, ideally two road games at Washington and Houston, then play a few division games in the first half of the year, before gaining two more weak opponents. 

If the Cards can take advantage, they could realistically head into the bye week at 3-5 or 4-4, then exit the bye against another weak team. At this point, hopefully Kyler Murray returns and guides the team to somewhere around 8-7 or 7-8, if I’m being realistic, setting the stage for back-to-back showdowns in Weeks 17 and 18.