What a difference a year makes!
Last September, Arizona Cardinals fans were anticipating the start of the Steve Wilks era as head coach. Many felt Wilks was the right choice to lead the Cardinals back into playoff contention, while mentoring first-round draft choice, Josh Rosen, into a franchise quarterback at the same time.
But that never came to fruition as Wilks is now the new defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and Rosen is the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick with the Miami Dolphins this season. Next up is Kliff Kingsbury who has been given the task of rebuilding this franchise and he began the process by drafting highly touted quarterback Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in last Spring’s NFL Draft. The next order of business is beginning the process of developing his young quarterback, but Kingsbury wants to repair the confidence inside the locker room by winning all of the easy games on the schedule. Sometimes, the two don’t coincide.
Here are the Cardinals easiest games in 2019. Be sure and also check out the most difficult games on Arizona’s 2019 schedule.
Arizona Cardinals Easiest Games of 2019
9) Week Nine: vs Atlanta Falcons
This matchup has the looks of being a wild offensive shootout. You have tremendous playmakers on both sidelines. The Atlanta Falcons have a lethal passing combo in quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones who challenge opposing secondaries deep each week. The Cardinals counter with Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson who are expected to be key contributors in Kingsbury’s passing attack. The goal is to match the Falcons offensively and turn this contest into an one possession game.
10) Week Two: at Baltimore Ravens
The second week of the regular season will be all about Terrell Suggs returning to Baltimore after playing 16 seasons in a Ravens uniform. Don’t be surprised if Suggs creates a little havoc in the backfield by putting pressure on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The schedule-makers perfectly placed this game on the docket as Suggs should be ready physically and mentally to perform one last time for the Ravens fans. The one negative is the Cardinals will be making their first trip back east this season, so expect sluggish play at the start of the contest. If the Cards cannot contain Jackson in the backfield, then his running style will cause problems for the defense.
11) Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers
What makes this game so difficult is the Cardinals are playing a divisional opponent for the second time in a span of three weeks. Keep in mind, the Cards have won their last four games at Levi’s Stadium. However, they will have to play well on both sides of the ball to win this tough road game.
12) Week Three: vs Carolina Panthers
The best-case scenario for the Cardinals is having Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton ruled out of the contest due to his preseason ankle injury. Still, the defense will have their hands fill in containing receiving running back Christian McCaffrey due to the lack of depth in their secondary with the suspension of Patrick Peterson. The Panthers don’t have many weapons on the offensive side of the ball, which makes McCaffrey all the more special as he makes plays with hands and legs. The Cardinals defense must keep the score low and hope the offense can score enough late to win the game.
13) Week One: vs Detroit Lions
There will be plenty of hoopla surrounding this home-opener as the Cardinals will be debuting their new coach/quarterback combo to the NFL universe. However, the formula to winning games is keeping David Johnson healthy for an entire season. The focus will be on Murray’s first regular season start, but Johnson can take some of the pressure off him with his ability to make plays coming out of the backfield. Kingsbury may want to emphasize a more diverse offensive attack with quick strike plays that gets the State Farm Stadium crowd off their feet and cheering for their team.
14) Week Seven: at New York Giants
You wouldn’t be far off base to suggest that the Cardinals and New York Giants are mirrored images of one another as both are desperate to find an identity on the field. Change has been a priority in New York this off-season as Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins are gone and in came Golden Tate and Daniel Jones. The lone difference between the two teams is the Giants have a veteran quarterback at the helm in Eli Manning who can guide a franchise through the tough stretches of the regular season.
15) Week Five: at Cincinnati Bengals
The Cardinals will embark on their second trip to the east coast in Week Five and you can expect a more competitive performance from them on the field. The jury is still out on what type of team the Cincinnati Bengals will be in 2019. The key to this game will be the Cards defense dictating the pace of the game as the absence of A.J. Green from the Bengals lineup leaves few playmakers for quarterback Andy Dalton to rely on in key third-down situations.
16) Week Nine: vs San Francisco 49ers
All the talk of the preseason was the ineffectiveness of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who was returning to the lineup after missing last season due to a knee injury. The Cardinals are riding into this contest with an eight-game winning streak against the Niners. Another plus in their favor is this is the Cards lone primetime game and it’s on Halloween night. Kingsbury and staff must create a gameplan that keeps State Farm Stadium a house of horrors for the 49ers. Keep an eye on Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk (6-127 yards and 2 TDs) who was a menace to the Niners secondary in both games last season.
