What a difference a year makes!<\/p>\n
Last September, Arizona Cardinals<\/strong><\/a> fans were anticipating the start of the Steve Wilks<\/strong><\/a> 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<\/strong><\/a>, into a franchise quarterback at the same time.<\/p>\n But that never came to fruition as Wilks is now the new defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns<\/a> and Rosen is the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick<\/strong><\/a> with the Miami Dolphins<\/a>\u00a0this season.\u00a0Next up is\u00a0Kliff Kingsbury<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0who has been given the task of rebuilding this franchise and he began the process by drafting highly touted quarterback Kyler Murray<\/strong><\/a> with the first overall pick in last Spring\u2019s NFL Draft. The next order of business is beginning the process of\u00a0developing his young quarterback, but Kingsbury wants to repair the confidence inside the locker room by winning all of the easy games on the schedule.\u00a0Sometimes, the two don’t coincide.<\/p>\n Here are the Cardinals easiest games in 2019. Be sure and also check out the most difficult games on Arizona’s 2019 schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n This matchup has the looks of being a wild offensive shootout. You have tremendous playmakers on both sidelines. The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> have a lethal passing combo in quarterback Matt Ryan<\/strong><\/a> and wide receiver Julio Jones<\/strong><\/a> who challenge opposing secondaries deep each week. The Cardinals counter with Larry Fitzgerald<\/strong><\/a> and David Johnson<\/strong><\/a> who are expected to be key contributors in Kingsbury’s passing attack. The goal is to match the Falcons\u00a0offensively and turn this contest into an one possession game.<\/p>\n The second week of the regular season will be all about Terrell Suggs<\/strong><\/a> returning to Baltimore after playing 16 seasons in a Ravens uniform. Don\u2019t be surprised if Suggs creates a little havoc in the backfield by putting pressure on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson<\/strong><\/a>. The schedule-makers perfectly placed this game on the docket as Suggs should be ready physically and mentally to perform one last time<\/a> 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.\u00a0If the Cards cannot contain Jackson in the backfield, then his running style will cause problems for the defense.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The best-case scenario for the Cardinals is having Carolina Panthers<\/a> quarterback Cam Newton<\/strong><\/a> ruled out of the contest due to his preseason ankle injury<\/a>. Still, the defense will have their hands fill in containing receiving running back Christian McCaffrey<\/strong><\/a> due to the lack of depth in their secondary with the suspension of Patrick Peterson<\/strong><\/a>. The Panthers don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n There will be plenty of hoopla surrounding this home-opener<\/a> 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t be far off base to suggest that the Cardinals and New York Giants<\/a> 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.<\/strong><\/a> and Landon Collins<\/strong><\/a> are gone and in came Golden Tate<\/strong><\/a> and Daniel Jones<\/strong><\/a>. The lone difference between the two teams is the Giants have a veteran quarterback at the helm in Eli Manning<\/strong><\/a> who can guide a franchise through the tough stretches of the regular season.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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<\/strong><\/a> from the Bengals lineup leaves few playmakers for quarterback Andy Dalton<\/strong><\/a> to rely on in key third-down situations.<\/p>\n All the talk of the preseason was the ineffectiveness of San Francisco 49ers<\/a> quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo<\/strong><\/a> who was returning to the lineup after missing last season due to a knee injury<\/a>. 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\u2019s 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<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(6-127 yards and 2 TDs) who was a menace to the Niners secondary in both games last season.<\/p>\nArizona Cardinals Easiest Games of 2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
9) Week Nine: vs Atlanta Falcons<\/h3>\n
10) Week Two: at Baltimore Ravens<\/h3>\n
11) Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers<\/h3>\n
12) Week Three: vs Carolina Panthers<\/h3>\n
13) Week One: vs Detroit Lions<\/h3>\n
14) Week Seven: at New York Giants<\/h3>\n
15) Week Five: at Cincinnati Bengals<\/h3>\n
16) Week Nine: vs San Francisco 49ers<\/h3>\n