In any season, division games usually are a team’s most interesting with the most consequences.
Same with Arizona. In what is expected to be a tightly contested NFC West, the Cardinals’ games against the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks should have enormous implications.
For now, we’re going to look at the rest of Arizona’s schedule. Here are the three most compelling non-NFC West games on the Cardinals’ schedule, games that could determine whether Arizona plays in the postseason.
These 3 games could decide the Arizona Cardinals fate in 2025
Week 9: Arizona at Dallas, Nov. 3
The Cardinals are on Monday Night Football here, coming off their bye week. If Arizona contends for a wild-card berth, this game could have serious postseason implications if the Cowboys are indeed in the playoff hunt.
It’s easy to say any game in any year against Dallas Cowboys is compelling. Dallas is Dallas, because of its popularity, if not its success the last quarter-century.
Something else about this matchup: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has a dominant and quirky record at AT&T Stadium.
Murray is 8-0 as a starting quarterback in the Cowboys’ home stadium (9-0 overall). Murray won five games in high school, including three state championships at Allen (Texas) High. He also won one game as the starting quarterback at Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
He is 2-0 as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback at AT&T Stadium, with victories in 2020 and 2022.
Only Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Tony Romo have more wins in that building than Murray.
Week 2, Arizona vs. Carolina, Sept. 14
This game has several implications. If the Cardinals are going to challenge for the NFC West title, or even for a wild-card spot, this is probably a must-win.
Carolina is coming off a 5-12 season, and though the Panthers might be at the beginning of a resurgence, the Cardinals need to win in their home opener.
Arizona will be coming off its season opener at New Orleans — with a decent chance to defeat the Saints — and could use the Carolina game to establish itself as a serious division contender.
A loss to the Panthers, a less-talented team, would be devastating for Arizona.
Revenge also might on Arizona’s mind. The Cardinals were eliminated from playoff consideration after losing at Carolina, 36-30 in overtime on Dec. 22, and the Rams winning over the Jets.
Week 7, Arizona vs. Green Bay, Oct. 19
This will be a true test for the Cardinals’ ambitious 2025 goals. Green Bay was a playoff team last season, and preseason predictions and odds have the Packers in the playoff mix again.
This is the kind of team the Cardinals have to defeat to make the playoffs — other likely playoff teams.
Such wins help in wild-card tiebreakers, and any win obviously helps in the NFC West standings. With the NFL’s sometimes complicated tiebreakers, a head-to-head victory can be the difference between playoff hopefuls.
In 2024, the Cardinals were 6-3 at home, curiously, the NFC West’s best home record, and the ninth-best home record in the NFL. Green Bay was 5-3 on the road.
So you have a good home team going against the eighth-best road team in the league. Yes, this game has more value than most other games.
This is another revenge game after the Packers hammered the Cardinals, 34-13, in 2024.