Arizona Cardinals fans are one day away from knowing when they will play their 2023 opponents. But let’s talk about three situations we won’t want to see.
The Arizona Cardinals have their work cut out for them this season, with a weaker, or really, a younger roster, a quarterback who probably won’t see the field in the season’s early going, and an upcoming list of opponents that is by no means easy.
While that doesn’t mean the Cardinals are doomed to fail in 2023, it does mean there is a high likelihood that the dominoes won’t fall in their direction. Anyway, for context, here is a list of tough opponents the Redbirds will face next season:
- San Francisco 49ers (twice)
- Seattle Seahawks (twice)
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
That’s 11 games vs. teams who finished 2022 with winning records. So what are the most nightmarish scenarios awaiting the Cards? Keep reading for more.
3 nightmare scenarios for the 2023 Arizona Cardinals schedule
1 - Cardinals open season against division rivals
Ideally if you’re the Cards this season, you want to face easy opponents that you don’t need to see twice a year. And while the Los Angeles Rams fit the mold of a weaker roster, it doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t do the Cards well to play anyone even remotely tough early.
Last season, the Redbirds were unlucky enough to face the Chiefs first, and it practically set the stage for a miserable 2022. Let’s hope that doesn’t occur this time around.
2 - Cards have a stretch of games against the teams listed above
We got quite a few headaches listed up there, and if the Cardinals play against a long slate of them at any point in the season, it’s going to be tough for a young, inexperienced football team with a new coaching staff to navigate. While playing them is inevitable, the Redbirds would be better off facing the NFL’s best in smaller doses.
Not that we won’t see back-to-back games against the teams listed. That’s inevitable. But perhaps Big Red will be lucky enough to play, at most, three in a row, before they get a breather against their six weaker opponents - Los Angeles (twice), Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and Cleveland.
3 - The bye week is either early, or late in the season
Last season, the Arizona Cardinals were unlucky enough to see their bye week fall in Week 13. This guaranteed a three-month stretch of games with no break, so, hopefully, we don’t see the same thing occur this season.
For a young team, it’s easy to hit that infamous wall if they’re forced to play in a three-month stretch, so the ideal situation would be for a bye between Weeks 7 and 9. Anything before Week 6, or after Week 10, however, would be a nightmare.