2023 Arizona Cardinals Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info
A new era for the Arizona Cardinals will kick off Sept. 10.
After missing the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years, Arizona hired a new head coach (Jonathan Gannon) and general manager (Monti Ossenfort) in the offseason. Adding to the sense of upheaval, the Cardinals could have a different Week 1 starting quarterback as well.
Kyler Murray is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last December, which figures to rule him out for a portion of the 2023 campaign. As a result, Colt McCoy or fifth-round draft pick Clayton Tune will likely be running the offense to open the regular season.
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Adding to the uncertainty of what lies ahead, both Budda Baker and DeAndre Hopkins were the subject of trade rumors, with the former requesting a trade after the team failed to offer him a market-level extension, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
On the heels of the Kliff Kingsbury era, you can't blame the fanbase for looking upon Gannon and Ossenfort a little skeptically. The last rebuilding plan was a colossal failure.
The good news for Gannon is that the bar is pretty low for what will be deemed a success on the field.
2023 Arizona Cardinals Schedule
Full schedule information available on the team's official website
Analysis
Like their divisional brethren, the Cardinals are drawn against all four teams from the AFC North. Even for the best teams in the league, those could be four difficult games.
The Cincinnati Bengals haven't fallen off much after winning their second straight AFC North title. The Cleveland Browns will have Deshaun Watson for a full season after he was suspended for the first 11 games in 2022. The Baltimore Ravens retained Lamar Jackson and bolstered their passing game with Odell Beckham Jr. with Zay Flowers. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kenny Pickett might take some steps forward in Year 2.
Getting to play the entire NFC East will be no picnic either. The Washington Commanders are shaping up to be the worst team in their division, yet they're coming off a .500 season.
Even if the Cardinals are better than expected, it's difficult to see where they'll bank a ton of wins outside of the dates with the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans.
Granted, the outlook will be a bit different if Murray doesn't ultimately miss much time.
Pivotal Matchups
The question with Arizona seems to be whether it will be one of the worst teams in the NFL or the worst team.
The Cardinals made sensible moves in free agency without significantly raising their ceiling. It's the same story in the draft, where they added nice value without getting a truly transformative prospect in the short term. Add in Murray's injury and you have a formula for a bad team.
Should Arizona play up to expectations—or down in this case—those aforementioned matchups with the Bears, Falcons and Texans could have implications on how the top five picks in the 2024 draft shake out.
The Los Angeles Rams could continue to bottom out as they pay the price for their all-in approach years ago. If that happens, the Cardinals might be able to avoid a last-place finish in the NFC West.
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