Breaking down Cards’ schedule
Road warriors: Arizona travels to New York twice
Full of hope there will be a full regularseason this year, the NFL released its full regular-season schedule on Thursday.
Here are some initial thoughts on the Cardinals schedule, which would result in plenty of frequent flier miles if they were traveling commercial and not charter.
Week 1 (Sept. 13): at San Francisco 49ers, 1:25 p.m.
There was some speculation the NFL would schedule non-conference games at the beginning of the year, in case games were canceled or postponed.
That didn’t happen, and the Cardinals will play the defending NFC champion on the road to start the season.
The game isn’t a lost cause, however. The Cardinals were hardly an offensive juggernaut a year ago. And the 49ers played defense as well as anyone in the NFL. But the Cardinals scored 25 and 26 points in two losses last year to a team that gave up an average of 19.4.
Week 2 (Sept. 20) Washington Redskins, 1:05 p.m.
Washington has had three consecutive losing seasons and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005. But the Redskins have still been able to handle the Cardinals. They’ve won 10 of the last 12 meetings.
Washington has a new coach (Ron Rivera), a young quarterback (Dwayne Haskins) and the most disliked owner in the NFL (Daniel Snyder).
The Cardinals appear to be further along in their rebuilding process. This game would be a good time to prove.
Week 3 (Sept. 27) Detroit Lions, 1:25 p.m.
Why do we play the Lions every year? Cardinals fans ask.
Why do we play the Cardinals every year? Lions fans ask.
Basically, it’s because the teams often finish at the same spot in their divisions. It’s the 17th time in the last 22 years they’ve played in the regular season and the seventh in the last nine years.
Kliff Kingsbury made his NFL coaching debut against the Lions last year, and the Cardinals were so bad in the first half that Kingsbury was regretting buying a home instead of renting. The Cardinals played better in the second half and the game ended in a tie.
Week 4 (Oct. 4) at Carolina Panthers, 10 a.m.
This is the first of three consecutive road games. Do the Cardinals stay in the East between this game and the one against the Jets the following week?
They’ve done that three times in the recent past and on each occasion didn’t play well in the second game.
Matt Rhule is making a Kingsbury-like leap from college head coach to the NFL.
Teddy Bridgewater has replaced Cam Newton at quarterback, but the Panthers still have Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 153 yards last year against the Cardinals, including a 76-yard touchdown. A film review confirmed the Cardinals managed to touch one of his ankles on his way to the end zone.
Week 5 (Oct. 11), at New York Jets, 10 a.m.
The Cardinals last two trips to New Jersey to play the Jets have been eventful.
In 2008, receiver Anquan Boldin suffered facial fractures after taking a hit in the end zone late in the 56-35 loss.
In 2012, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett and safety Kerry Rhodes got into an argument late in the Jets’ 7-6 victory. Dockett supposedly was not on board with the Cardinals strategy of allowing the Jets to score in order to possibly get the ball back one last time.
There were report that Dockett spit on Rhodes, which Rhodes denied. The Cardinals fined Dockett $100,000, money that should have been divided among those who watched that awful game.
Week 6 (Oct. 19) at Dallas Cowboys, 5:15 p.m.
With only eight wins the past two years, the Cardinals weren’t going to get more than two primetime games. And that’s exactly what they got.
This is the first one, on Monday night. This is an attractive matchup. Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray are from Texas, so expect to see plenty of pictures of them as little tykes wearing football uniforms.
Week 7 (Oct. 25) Seattle Seahawks, 1:05 p.m.
Sept. 9, 2012 is an important date in this NFC West rivalry. It’s the last time the Cardinals beat the Seahawks in Arizona.
Since then, the Cardinals are 0-6-1 against the Seahawks at home but 5-2 in Seattle, including a victory last season.
Games between these two teams have tended to be strange, interesting and very physical. The cold tubs get a lot of use the
following week.
Week 8 (Nov. 1) BYE
The Dolphins haven’t been to town in eight years, at least as a collective unit.
They are rebuilding and, like the Cardinals, putting all their faith in a young quarterback.
Murray and Tua Tagovailoa were among the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football the last few years.
The Cardinals invested a lot of resources to upgrade their defense. Making a rookie quarterback look like a rookie quarterback would be a sign of progress.
Week 10 (Nov. 15) Buffalo Bills, 2:05 p.m.
The Bills haven’t played in Arizona since 2012 and likely will be thankful to leave Buffalo in November.
This is the third consecutive home game for the Cardinals, broken up by an off week.
This likely will be among the best defenses the Cardinals will face all season, so we’ll find out how the Kingsbury 11 stacks up.
Week 11 (Nov. 19) at Seattle Seahawks, 6:20 p.m.
The Cardinals don’t have much time to prepare for playing the Seahawks on Thursday night. But then they don’t need much time. These teams know each other well.
The Cardinals victory over Seattle in last season’s penultimate game showed just how much Arizona improved during Kingsbury’s first season.
They beat Seattle at its own game. They rushed for 253 yards and played perhaps their best defensive game of the season, sacking Russell Wilson five times and holding the Seahawks to 13 points.
Week 12 (Nov. 29) at New England Patriots, 11 a.m.
Playing Seattle and New England on the road in consecutive weeks is difficult, but the Cardinals will have some extra time to prepare for the Patriots.
Can the Patriots sustain success with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback instead of Tom Brady? We should know the answer by this point.
An interesting aside: Kliff Kingsbury was drafted in the sixth round in 2003 by the Patriots and Bill Belichick. Kingsbury spent his only year in New England on injured reserve.
Week 13 (Dec. 6) Los Angeles Rams, 2:05 p.m.
The first of two games in December against the Rams.
The Rams have won six straight against the Cardinals, beginning with a 33-0 victory in London in 2017.
Only one of the six victories has been close: last year’s 31-24 win in the final game of the year.
Both teams parted with expensive running backs in the off-season. The Cardinals traded David Johnson and the Rams released Todd Gurley.
Mamas, let your babies grow up to be cornerbacks, not running backs.
Week 14 (Dec. 13) at New York Giants, 11 a.m.
The Cardinals make their second visit of the season to MetLife Stadium, so they will be familiar with the surroundings. But at least this one starts at 11 a.m. Arizona time, not 10 a.m.
It helps, too, that the Giants haven’t been very good.
Week 15 (Dec. 20) Philadelphia Eagles, 2:05 p.m.
This game could be a fun one because Eagles coach Doug Pederson and Kingsbury are two of the more creative offensive minds in the NFL.
Also, they aren’t afraid to buck convention when it comes to things like going for it on fourth down rather than punting.
The Cardinals are 11-24-1 against NFC opponents the last three years. That has to change for them to have a shot at the playoffs.
Week 16 (Dec. 26 or 27) San Francisco 49ers, Time TBD
It will be decided later if this game will be on Saturday or Sunday and at what time.
The Cardinals finish the season with five consecutive games against NFC opponents, and the last two games are against division opponents.
If the Cardinals are as improved as they think, and healthy, this game should be meaningful.
Week 17 (Jan. 3) at Los Angeles Rams, 2:25 p.m.
The Cardinals should get their first look at SoFi Stadium, named after the company that sends college graduates weekly emails and letters offering to refinance their student loans.
It’s a pretty good business, apparently, because SoFi is reportedly paying $400 million over 20 years to slap their name on it. camps. Those dates also remain up in the air, although the league sent a memo to every club this week regarding protocols for the early stages of reopening team facilities.
According to the Associated Press, which obtained a copy of the memo, the first phase will involve allowing 50 percent of each team’s non-player employees – up to a total of 75 per day – to be at the club facility on any given day. The number could be lower, depending on local or state regulations.
The only players who will be permitted in team facilities, once they open, are those who were getting therapy and treatments for injuries at their club headquarters when all doors were ordered shut in late March by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Goodell is still working with league officials and the players’ union about how the rest of the reopening process might play out.
Players and additional team personnel won’t be allowed in facilities until local and state regulations in and around all 32 NFL cities give the all-clear.
In the meantime, the AP has reported that the league’s medical director, Dr. Allen Sills, will meet with each team’s physician and infection control officer to discuss the implementations and medical aspects of the re-opening protocols.
In his memo to all the teams, Goodell stressed the league, its members, and its fans should be braced for almost anything.
“It is impossible to project what the next few months will bring,” Goodell wrote.