Cardinals Schedule Has Positives and Negatives

The Arizona Cardinals are glossing over their 2025 schedule to get a gauge on how the season will go.

The Cardinals have to like what the first part of their schedule looks like with several winnable games to start the season off strong.

"Don't be surprised if the Cardinals jump out to a 2-0 start and that's because they have two very winnable games to start the season," CBS Sports writer John Breech wrote.

"First, they'll open things up with a Saints team that could be starting a rookie quarterback. After that, the Cardinals will host the Panthers. If they win both of those games, they'll have some serious confidence going into Week 3 and Week 4 when they face two divisional opponents (49ers, Seahawks)."

There are blessings and curses when it comes to having an easy schedule to start the season. It gives the team a better chance to start on the right foot, but it could also spell disaster if the team doesn't, so there could be more pressure to make things work.

The Cardinals need wins at the beginning of the season, because victories will be harder to come by later in the year.

"The backend of the schedule could end up being a nightmare for the Cardinals. Over the final six weeks, the Cardinals will play five games against teams that finished above .500 last season, including two against the Rams and one against the Bengals. The Cardinals are also one of just six teams that has to close out the season with two straight road games," Breech wrote.

This could cut things close if the Cardinals need a win or two in the final weeks to clinch a playoff berth, so stacking these victories as much as possible in the early parts of the year, especially against teams they are better than, is important.