Week 1 opponent for Arizona Cardinals should be a no-brainer

The 2024 NFL schedule is set to be released this Wednesday at 8PM EST. We are getting closer to having football back in our lives and we have learned that it will be the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens kicking off the season on Thursday, September 5th. As we prepare for the schedule to be released, Arizona Cardinals fans will need to keep an eye out on when they will see the Cardinals in action against who. 

The Cardinals are expected to take a step forward in 2024 from the last two seasons. They are 8-26 in that span, having just one win within the NFC West against the Los Angeles Rams. Jonathan Gannon heads into his second season as head coach and will finally have a healthy Kyler Murray under center who has better weapons around him now than he did last season. The first week of the regular season is a tone-setter for every team in the NFL. 

There is no doubt that the Cardinals had a successful offseason to build up the team. They have a great amount of new and exciting players that can be impactful both in the near and long term future. While Arizona will have some growing pains, there should be no excuse as to why they cannot win more than four games in 2024.

The Cardinals perfect Week 1 opponent should be an easy decision.

In order to be taken seriously and prove that they can be a true contender, the Cardinals need the best possible opponent right out of the gate. Their opponent should be none other than the San Francisco 49ers.

The defending NFC champions are looking for vengeance after coming up short in the Super Bowl once again to the Chiefs. All of their major star contributors are back (for now) and the 49ers know that their window of having Brock Purdy on a cheap contract is closing. They will be looking to capitalize and get themselves a championship. When it comes to the Cardinals, they have vastly improved their roster with a new look defensive line and wide receiver group. Kyler Murray is back and ready to go after playing in eight games last season.

Say what you want, but the Cardinals need to be tested big time right from the start to see what they are and what they could be moving forward. There is no better opponent for them to take on than the 49ers at the start of the regular season.