The Arizona Cardinals were forced to go the tough route when the NFL first released their schedule in May 2023. Many of us checked when that inevitable bye week occurred, and it wasn’t long until we discovered it wouldn’t be until Week 14, forcing the Redbirds to play three straight months without a break.
And their break couldn’t have come at a better time. Arizona is coming off of a major upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and their following contest gets no easier thanks to the San Francisco 49ers coming to Glendale. This past week, the 49ers made quick work out of the Philadelphia Eagles, so “Big Red” will have their work more than cut out for them when they return to action.
To make matters tougher for Arizona, the Niners are still well in contention for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and they would like nothing more than for the road to the Super Bowl to run through Santa Clara. But the Week 14 bye gives the team a chance to rest up and get an additional few days of practice before they face Brock Purdy and Company.
Arizona Cardinals are on a long-awaited bye in Week 14
Following the Cardinals bye in Week 14, they will have three more opponents to play after San Francisco. In Week 16, the Redbirds will travel to the Windy City in what is a very winnable matchup against their original cross-town rival, the Chicago Bears.
In Week 17, they will embark on another road trip, this time to Philadelphia, where they will face head coach Jonathan Gannon’s old team, the Eagles, before closing out the season at home vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Then, the Redbirds will enter a crucial offseason, and one in which they will add more pieces to the foundation of a roster that has only grown younger.
(Schedule provided by Pro-Football-Reference)