Could it be the NFL is against the Arizona Cardinals? The reason for the inquiry is that the schedule is not favorable. Not at all.
They play too many playoff teams from last year.
RELATED: CARDINALS INSTANT PREDICTIONS
Case in point:
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Lack of a last-place schedule
The Cardinals were last in the NFC West Division. They were one of four teams that ended up with 14 losses, along with the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Tennessee Titans. That should mean that these four clubs should have some of the easiest
schedules the following year, right? Not even close.
The Titans are ranked #8, followed by the Jets at #21, the Raiders at #26, and then the Cardinals at #30. Arizona ended up with the third most difficult schedule?
Facing all the last-place teams? Not hardly
There are two conferences with four divisions within each conference. That means eight clubs will come in last. The following season, in theory, every basement team gets the easiest schedule.
The NFL is all about parity and helping the downtrodden teams. The last-place teams the Cardinals face this year are the New York Football Giants, Detroit Lions, Jets, New Orleans Saints, and the Raiders.
Five of eight. Not bad, right?
But hold on. The Lions won 15 games the year before, and in 2025, finished 9-8-0 and almost went to the playoffs. They also lost five of eight games by seven points or less. The Saints won four of their final five games. The Giants are now coached by John Harbaugh, who has a lifetime .614-win percentage, has had 12 playoff appearances, six division titles, and a Super Bowl ring.
So, not five of eight. More like two of eight.
Pitted against Number 1 seeds
Division mates Seattle Seahawks went 14-3-0, claimed the division, and then earned the NFC’s #1 seed in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos progressed and took the AFC’s #1 seed with an identical 14-3-0 record.
The Cardinals play both this year. How many clubs can say they have mutually Number 1 seeds on their schedule? Anyone?
A schedule full of playoff teams
For a team that finished in the cellar of a division, the Cardinals are playing a slew of 2025 playoff clubs. They are everywhere.
- San Francisco 49ers (twice)
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Los Angeles Rams (twice)
- Broncos
- Seahawks (twice)
- Los Angeles Chargers
Anyone scoring at home, that’s nine of 17 games. Plus, teams that traditionally are good, such as the Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs. Great googly moogly.
Prime time games?
Um, what prime time games?
The Rams lead with seven scheduled primetime appearances. Opening weekend, the Super Bowl participants square off with the New England Patriots against the Seahawks. The Dallas Cowboys have been trash, and yet they end up with three Sunday Night Football contests.
Monday Night Football? Not for fans of the Cardinals. But the NFL gave a game to the Giants, Saints, Falcons, Cowboys, Commanders, Bengals, Chiefs, and Lions. All of these were non-playoff teams from last year, and most had bad seasons.
Thursday Night Football? The Giants have a game. So do the Bengals. And the Browns. But not Arizona.
And the International series? Three games in London, the first ever in Paris, the annual Munich game, one in Madrid, another in Mexico City, a single contest in Rio, and finally, a game in Melbourne, Australia.
Nine ballgames with 18 teams, and not a single one mentions the desert.
Thanksgiving Day? Christmas Day? The league’s first Thanksgiving Eve match? Sorry.
Not being able to show off their new toy
What if it were known that Barry Sanders was now in the league? Or Eric Dickerson? Or Emmitt Smith? Would you watch, even if it was not your favorite team?
Nobody is saying that Notre Dame rookie Jeremiyah Love is any of these running backs, but what if he has similar traits and abilities? What if he finishes his football life in a gold jacket? We don’t know. We don’t know that he won’t be, either.
One thing is almost a certainty: as long as he remains vertical, Love will be exciting to watch. And he is being thrown into a new offensive system that relies heavily on a great runner.
Love was taken third overall in the NFL draft by a new offensive-minded head coach. That is a match. So, how many games is the league featuring this new running back for the league to see?
Zero.
Right out of the gate
The Cardinals’ first seven games are about as brutal as it can get. The league has forgotten that Arizona was a bottom-feeder last year:
- Week 1: 11-6-0 Chargers (playoff team)
- Week 2: 14-3-0 Seahawks (NFC #1 seed, division winner, Super Bowl champions)
- Week 3: 12-5-0 49ers (playoff team)
- Week 4: 4-13-0 Giants
- Week 5: 9-8-0 Lions
- Week 6: 12-5-0 Rams (playoff team)
- Week 7: 14-3-0 Broncos (AFC #1 seed, division winner, playoff team)
Divisional games
The NFC West is the best division in the league. Three of their clubs made the playoffs last year, and the Seahawks took home the ring.
To make things worse, the Cardinals play five of their six divisional games before their bye week. The new coaching staff is trying to establish a winning culture inside the locker room, but the NFL schedule-makers are not doing this franchise any favors.
None.
