Cardinals Have Two Key Games on Schedule

The Arizona Cardinals have 17 games on their schedule for the upcoming season, but two stand out above the rest.

The Athletic tasked its beat reporters to come up with one "must-watch" game for the upcoming season, and Larry Holder picked the New Orleans Saints' opener against the Cardinals.

"The Saints are one of three teams with no prime-time games. That tells you what the league thinks about the viability of this team heading into 2025," Holder wrote.

"So it’s up to the Saints to actually draw any attention for themselves. And that’s what makes the opening game for new head coach Kellen Moore and likely new starting quarterback Tyler Shough the most interesting Saints game to watch, regardless of the opponent. A flop in Week 1 against a mediocre Cardinals squad and the Who Dat fans could either become more restless or more apathetic. I’m not sure which one is worse for New Orleans."

The Cardinals also have another key game in the middle of the season when they visit the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.

"The Cardinals have gone from four wins to eight in two seasons under head coach Jonathan Gannon," The Athletic's Doug Haller wrote.

"This season it’s all about the playoffs. Few outside the desert will take this seriously, but Arizona’s early schedule shapes up well. The Cardinals could be 5-2 entering their Week 8 bye. In Week 9 they head to Dallas for “Monday Night Football” — a chance to flex on a big stage. Dating to his sophomore year in high school, Kyler Murray is 9-0 at AT&T Stadium. This will be a chance to show the Cardinals are a legit postseason contender, something they did last season, only to fizzle in the final weeks — a drop that, coincidentally, began after their bye week."

In the meantime, the Cardinals will go through OTA's and training camp to get ready for these crucial games.