The Arizona Cardinals finished the 2025 season with just three wins, which was dead last in the NFC West by a massive margin. Unfortunately, this season should be more of the same.
They still have unaddressed roster flaws, the most concerning of which remains an unresolved quarterback situation. To make matters worse, they have one of the most demanding schedules in the league, largely because they are stuck in a division with the Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers.
Looking at these rankings, it's clear the Cardinals will have their work cut out for them, as it's fair to wonder whether they'll even exceed last year's win total.
Sun Dec 20 vs. New York Jets
There's a chance we look back on this as the game that determines who receives the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Both teams are in need of long-term quarterbacks, with Geno Smith and Jacoby Brissett serving as stopgaps (if Arizona is able to sort out Brissett's contract holdout).
Sun Jan 3 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are hoping they found their quarterback of the future with No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. But their offense still has serious holes to fill well beyond their signal-caller, finishing 2025 dead last in points per game (14.2) by a wide margin. Hopefully that counters Arizona's lackluster defense, which finished 29th in points allowed (28.7).
Sun Dec 27 @ New Orleans Saints
Arizona will have to beat New Orleans on the offensive side of the ball, where the Saints struggled last season under rookie QB Tyler Shough. But will they even want to win this game at this point in the season? The fact that the three weakest matchups for the Cardinals come near the end of the season suggests the playoffs could be well out of reach before their schedule lightens up.
Sun Oct 4 @ New York Giants
Like the Cardinals, the Giants were another team that struggled defensively last season. This one could be an exciting shootout assuming Jaxson Dart is able to build off an impressive rookie campaign. Arizona has the skill players to keep up with that game script, though their quarterback situation is far less reliable.
Sun Nov 29 vs. Washington Commanders
The Commanders were one of the league's biggest disappointments last season, following up their 12-win season in 2024-25 with just five last year. Our best bet is they find a balance between the two seasons, finishing around .500. Still, the fact that the Commanders rank fifth on this schedule shows just how brutal it truly is for the Cardinals.
Sun Oct 25 vs. Denver Broncos
Denver was an elite defense last season, ranking third in points allowed (18.3) behind only the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans. Their offense under Sean Payton and Bo Nix is just good enough to give their defense an opportunity to win, a successful formula for a 14-3 season. While we don't expect quite the same level of regular season success this year, this will be a tough matchup for Arizona, even at home.
Sun Nov 1 @ Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott has one of the league's best receiving duos at his disposal in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the latter of whom proved he's anything but a second option. The Cowboys' electric offense should be too much for the Cardinals' secondary in this one. Their best bet is to slow the game down, relying on a revamped run game with Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier.
Sun Dec 6 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia was a strange team last season. They seemed to struggle both on and off the field, yet somehow strung together a successful 11-6 season. That appears to be their floor even with A. J. Brown now in New England, which could potentially be an addition by subtraction move depending on how much he was a distraction.
It could be a winnable game that Arizona can steal, depending on what version of Philadelphia we get this season.
Sun Sep 13 @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are becoming closer to the identity Jim Harbaugh envisioned each season. This is a team that wants to win in the trenches, which could spell disaster for a Cardinals team that has been constructed from the outside-in so far during their rebuild. It's hard to see them stealing this one on the road.
Sun Oct 11 vs. Detroit Lions
Jeremiyah Love vs Jahmyr Gibbs. Dan Campbell's refusal to punt vs a flawed Cardinals defense. This one has all the makings of a shootout, which plays right into Detroit's preferred style of play. The Cardinals do have the offensive weapons to keep up for a bit, but ultimately the gap between Jacoby Brissett and Jared Goff should be too much to overcome.
Week 18: TBD vs. San Francisco 49ers
Stuck in a division with the Rams and Seahawks, oftentimes it gets overlooked just how talented this 49ers roster is. This team still won as many games as the Rams last season (12) and should be even better with offseason upgrades and a healthier roster overall.
Upsets seem a bit more frequent in these divisional rival games where the two teams know each other so well. And if there is a team for Arizona to upset, it would be San Francisco. But ultimately, the talent disparity makes this another intimidating matchup.
Sun Sep 27 @ San Francisco 49ers
Same thought process, only now the Cardinals have to face this team on the road.
Sun Nov 22 @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer the juggernauts they once were. They're still pretty dang good.
It's hard to see a scenario in which this rebuilding Cardinals roster goes into Arrowhead Stadium and takes down Patrick Mahomes. As is the case with the other elite quarterbacks they have to face this season, the best chance for Arizona to pull off the upset is relying on their elite running back room to limit time of possession for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense.
Sun Sep 20 vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks defense is too elite to predict a significant Super Bowl hangover. It's actually the Rams who have better odds to win the Super Bowl this season according to DraftKings Sportsbook, but a repeat is certainly still on the table as well.
Sun Nov 15 vs. Los Angeles Rams
After their blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett, the Rams could very well be the team to beat this season. They have a well-balanced roster that Arizona will have a disadvantage against on both sides of the ball. If they do manage to score against their revamped defense, the Cardinals still have to find a way to outscore Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua in an elite Sean McVay-led offense. Good luck with that.
Sun Nov 8 @ Seattle Seahawks
They're called the 12th man for a reason. Arizona already has its work cut out for them against the defending champs playing in Glendale. But considering the home-field advantage paired with the talent gap, this one could get out of hand fast.
Sun Oct 18 @ Los Angeles Rams
This is just one of those games where we hope both teams have fun.
Can new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur find a way to beat McVay at his own game? LaFleur was previously the Rams' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, so hopefully Arizona has some sense of an idea how to attack.
It's wishful thinking, as it's unlikely the Cardinals are able to defeat arguably the best team in the NFL in their own stadium.
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