During July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be analyzing the schedules of every team in the NFL and ranking each game in order of difficulty (with one being the most difficult). This series will be split up into the eight most difficult games (ranked 1-8) and the eight easiest games (ranked 9-16) for each team. In this article, the Arizona Cardinals most difficult games in 2016 are the focus.
Arizona Cardinals Most Difficult Games in 2016
1. Week 8 at Panthers
If the Arizona Cardinals could swap their week 8 and week 9 schedules, they would probably do that in a heartbeat. Not only do the Cardinals have to face the defending NFC champions on the road this season, but they have to do so the week before their bye. Hopefully for Arizona, that fact will motivate them to push themselves to the absolute limit.
The loss of Josh Norman should help Carson Palmer to throw downfield more and open up things against the Panthers defense. If the Cardinals play their best, it will be a great game to sit and watch. If the Cardinals let up, even a little bit, they could be in for another long afternoon similar to the NFC Championship game.
2. Week 16 at Seahawks
Divisional road games are always tough and they are even tougher in Seattle. The loudest stadium in the NFL and only team that pays homage to their 12th man is a nightmare for many teams. The Cardinals did manage a win in Seattle last season but that is not a common occurrence.
Over the past three seasons, the Seahawks have only lost a total of five home games. The only good news about that is that two of those losses have come at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals. Still, the Seahawks and their Legion of Boom are a confident group that ups their level of play on their own turf.
Marshawn Lynch may be gone now, which surely brings many smiles to Cardinals defensive players, but that loss seems to have unleashed Russell Wilson. The breakout campaign of Doug Baldwin and high hopes for Thomas Rawls makes this game extremely tough. Arizona will need a great effort in a game that could crown the champion of NFC West.
3. Week 11 at Vikings
Another tough road game for the Cardinals takes place in Minnesota. It’s not as tough if Minnesota still played outside, but the weather is not what worries the Cardinals. One of the toughest, hardest hitting defenses in the league is what worries this team.
Led by young leaders that include Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr, the Vikings bring a toughness to their game that can only be matched by four or five other defenses. Transferring that same attitude over to the offensive side of the ball is Adrian Peterson. When facing a player like Peterson, you can only hope to contain him. The three and four yard runs, one after another, eventually break down an opponent. Then, most of the time, Peterson breaks out a big one that completely demoralizes the defense.
If the Cardinals plan on winning this one, they need 11 players to get to the ball and make tackles.
4. Week 1 vs. Patriots
But they don’t have Tom Brady. So what? The Patriots still have Bill Bellicheck, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dion Lewis, and new addition Martellus Bennett. If Brady was to play, this would be the second toughest game on the schedule. The Patriots under Bellicheck will always be a good team. When Matt Cassel took over several seasons ago because of a Tom Brady injury, the team went 11-5. You can be sure that Jimmy Garoppolo will get a lot of reps in pre-season and will be ready to play come September.
5. Week 17 at Rams
Those aforementioned divisional road games do not get too much easier on the road in Los Angeles. The Rams will look to end their first regular season back in LA on a good note. Great defenses seems to be the theme for Cardinals opponents this year and this team is right up there.
With a scary defensive line led by Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn, the Rams will look to potentially ruin a Cardinals division title run. It is unlikely that the Rams will be in the mix for the division, but everyone likes to play spoiler. At the very least, this will be a bruising game with no quit from either side. Todd Gurley figures to see 25-30 touches and that means trouble for Cardinals defenders.
6. Week 7 vs. Seahawks
Not having to play the Seahawks twice every season would be nice, but unfortunately for the Cardinals that is not the case. However, they are guaranteed to play them once at home and will look to take advantage of that fact. If the Cardinals want to be in the race for the division title again, they will need to at least split the season series with the Seahawks.
The easiest way to accomplish that is by winning your home game. Although Russell Wilson can sometimes be a magician, the Cardinals have plenty of playmakers as well. David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown will all have to be at their best if they plan on getting on the scoreboard against Seattle.
7. Week 3 at Bills
Good thing this game is week 3 because anything later than week 12 in Buffalo is treacherous. Not letting Tyrod Taylor outside of the pocket will be one of the main keys for Arizona’s defense. The more time a play has to develop, the more time there is for Sammy Watkins to get open. Patrick Peterson is only human and can only cover for so long, so the pass rush will be another key for the Cardinals.
The Bills have a tough offensive line that led the way for over 1,000 yards rushed last season. LeSean McCoy has the ability to make several defenders miss on any given play and makes the Bills rushing attack is very consistent. The team who controls the clock will have the advantage in this game.
8. Week 4 vs. Rams
Jared Goff will be four weeks into his NFL career so the Cardinals should be able to create turnovers. Road teams typically have more difficulty running the ball early in games. If the Cardinals are able to continue that trend and limit Todd Gurley, Jared Goff will be forced to make plays. Tyrann Mathieu would love for that to happen. Keep the ball out of Gurley’s hands and force the wideouts of the Rams to beat Arizona’s secondary. Offensively, the Cardinals would be wise to throw the ball early and often. The defensive front for Los Angeles is relentless so wasting time trying to establish the run could be costly.
Check out the rest of the schedule for the Cardinals here.
