The NFL schedule is here. On Thursday, May 14, the league announced its full 17-game slate for all 32 teams.
And for the Arizona Cardinals, it was a reminder of how difficult the 2026 season may prove to be. They face the hardest schedule in the NFL, as measured by both last year’s records and this year’s projected records. By some measures, it’s one of the hardest schedules the league has ever seen — a product of playing in a division with three Super Bowl contenders, while facing tricky opponents from the NFC East and AFC West outside the division.
When, where do the Cardinals play in 2026? NFL schedule is released
Here is the Cardinals’ 2026 schedule and our early predictions for each Cardinals game, as they aim to outperform expectations in the first season under coach Mike LaFleur. All times MST.
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13, at Los Angeles Chargers, 1:25 p.m. MST
Arizona’s schedule is filled with opponents who have a clear upper hand — whether that be in coaching, roster talent or home-field advantage. In Week 1, the difference is clear: The Chargers have one of the league’s better quarterbacks, Justin Herbert, while the Cardinals are still searching for their solution at the position. They are the biggest Week 1 underdogs, based on early betting lines.
Prediction: Chargers over Cardinals
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20, vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1:25 p.m. MST
The reigning Super Bowl champions will likely regress slightly in 2026. After all, there’s nowhere to go but down. But will a few peripheral departures — Kenneth Walker, Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant — be enough to tip the scales in one of the sport’s most unbalanced matchups? Unlikely.
Prediction: Seahawks over Cardinals
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, at San Francisco 49ers, 1:05 p.m. MST
The 49ers might be the most vulnerable division opponent, but this is still a roster with significantly more certainty than the Cardinals have on offense and defense. LaFleur coaching in San Francisco will be a fun subplot, though, given that he spent seven years working under Kyle Shanahan, from 2014-20.
Prediction: 49ers over Cardinals
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 4, at New York Giants, 10 a.m. MST
It’s hard to find many wins on the Cardinals’ brutally difficult road schedule, but this game is an exception. The Cardinals’ trademark strength this season could be their running game, with two new interior offensive linemen and the addition of Jeremiyah Love. The Giants, meanwhile, had the league’s worst run defense last season. It’s a good mix for Arizona.
Prediction: Cardinals over Giants
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11, vs. Detroit Lions, 1:25 p.m. MST
Few games exemplify the brutality of the Cardinals’ schedule quite like this one. As the last-place team in the NFC West, they were “rewarded” with a matchup against the last-place team in the NFC North. Unfortunately for Arizona, the Lions are a veritable Super Bowl contender, with a traveling fan base that regularly packs State Farm Stadium.
Prediction: Lions over Cardinals
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 18, at Los Angeles Rams, 1:05 p.m. MST
Stunning Sean McVay and the Rams would be a dream return to SoFi Stadium for LaFleur. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they are projected as the worst team in the NFL by oddsmakers while the Rams are projected as the best.
Prediction: Rams over Cardinals
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25, vs. Denver Broncos, 1:05 p.m. MST
As if the Cardinals’ schedule wasn’t difficult enough — playing in the hardest division in football — they also have to face a deep, talented AFC West. That means matchups against teams like the Broncos, who likely would have made the Super Bowl had Bo Nix not broken his ankle in the AFC divisional round.
Prediction: Broncos over Cardinals
Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1, at Dallas Cowboys, 11 a.m. MST
On one hand, the Cardinals have had the Cowboys’ number in recent years, including in their most recent win, back in early November. On the other hand, Dallas has one of the league’s more explosive offenses and has now added key defensive pieces like Caleb Downs, Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant. Dallas could push for an NFC East title, while the Cardinals are expected to remain near the league’s basement.
Prediction: Cowboys over Cardinals
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8, at Seattle Seahawks, 2:25 p.m. MST
The Cardinals have now lost nine consecutive games to the Seahawks, including four in a row at Lumen Field — where each of those defeats has been by at least 10 points. And despite their offseason departures, the Seahawks are better than the Cardinals at quarterback, in the trenches, at the skill positions and in the secondary.
Prediction: Seahawks over Cardinals
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15, vs. Los Angeles Rams, 2:05 p.m. MST
Last season, the Cardinals were outscored by the Rams, 82-37, in a pair of losses. Despite a new coaching staff and some peripheral reinforcements, it’s hard to imagine that picture changing much this year — even in Glendale.
Prediction: Rams over Cardinals
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22, at Kansas City Chiefs, 11 a.m. MST
As the Chiefs showed last season, this is a heavily flawed roster searching for an offensive identity in a league that has evolved to mitigate its strengths. And yet, Kansas City still has Patrick Mahomes. This game landing in November is a difficult break for Arizona, as Mahomes should be recovered from his torn ACL by then.
Prediction: Chiefs over Cardinals
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29, vs. Washington Commanders, 2:25 p.m. MST
If the Commanders replicate last season’s miserable performance, this could be a win for the Cardinals. But Washington spent its offseason aggressively getting younger and more athletic on defense with additions such as Sonny Styles, Odafe Oweh and Leo Chenal. If Jayden Daniels is healthy, the Commanders will be heavy favorites here.
Prediction: Commanders over Cardinals
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 6, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 2:05 p.m. MST
The last time the Cardinals faced the Eagles, it felt like the dawn of a new era. Late in Jonathan Gannon’s first season, they went into Philadelphia and pulled off a stunning upset, laying the groundwork for what seemed to be a bright future. Instead, three years later, they’re back to square one: overmatched against a significantly more talented Eagles team.
Prediction: Eagles over Cardinals
Week 14: Bye
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20, vs. New York Jets, 2:05 p.m. MST
When sportsbooks reveal their full betting lines in the coming days, this might be the only game in which the Cardinals are favored. These are two of the more flawed rosters in the NFL, with the league’s third-worst (Jets) and worst (Cardinals) Super Bowl odds. So in their own building, the Cardinals get the nod here.
Prediction: Cardinals over Jets
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 27, at New Orleans Saints, 11 a.m. MST
This is not the same Saints team that the Cardinals beat in New Orleans last September. Behind head coach Kellen Moore and second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, this group has found its offensive identity, as it showed in a 4-1 finish to last season. They’re one year ahead of the Cardinals in their rebuild.
Prediction: Saints over Cardinals
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3, vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 2:05 p.m. MST
The Raiders have a shiny new toy in No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, but the rest of their roster remains flawed, especially on offense. Plus, the Raiders reportedly plan to start Kirk Cousins for the early portion of the season. That means that Mendoza could still be adjusting to the NFL by the time they arrive in Arizona.
Prediction: Cardinals over Raiders
Week 18: Sunday, Jan. 10, vs. San Francisco 49ers, time TBD
Surely, the Cardinals can’t go 0-6 against the NFC West for the second consecutive year, right? Right? And if there’s any division win on the slate, it’s probably this one. The Rams and Seahawks have the sport’s two best Super Bowl odds, while the 49ers are relatively fallible, down in 10th (albeit 22 spots ahead of the Cardinals). Plus, the Cardinals have been competitive against the 49ers recently, winning four of their past 10 matchups. And in Week 18, San Francisco might be resting its starters.
Prediction: Cardinals over 49ers
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL schedule release. Arizona Cardinals predictions, dates, times
