2015 Arizona Cardinals Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The expectations are sky-high for the Arizona Cardinals in 2015. 

While the team's loss to the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round of the NFC playoffs was a disappointing conclusion to an 11-5 regular season, the team and its fans will likely chalk that up to Carson Palmer's injury and the fact that third-stringer Ryan Lindley was forced into starting duty. 

And why wouldn't they? Before the Cardinals lost Palmer for the season, they were 8-1 and atop the NFC standings. Even with Drew Stanton as the starting quarterback, the defense carried them to a 3-2 record. 

Ah, but then Stanton and star running back Andre Ellington went down to injury, and the entire operation fell apart. The Cardinals lost their last two regular-season games, lost both the NFC West title and a first-round bye and were knocked out of the playoffs by Carolina. A season that had started with so much promise ended in heartbreak. 

Still, it's hard to not be excited about this team's prospects in 2015. The defense gave up the fifth-fewest points in the NFL a season ago, and the team has solid offensive weapons in Andre Ellington, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. It also added solid free agents like Sean Weatherspoon, Corey Peters and Mike Iupati, while the biggest offseason loss was cornerback Antonio Cromartie. 

Suspended linebacker Daryl Washington is also expected to return after the NFL banned him for a year.

Under Bruce Arians, the team is 21-11 and should be one of the favorites to emerge from the NFC as a Super Bowl contender this year. The head coach certainly thinks this season is Super Bowl-or-bust, as he told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com:

"

That’s the goal every year. Last year (the Super Bowl) just happened to be in our stadium. It was easy to look a guy in the eye and say, ‘Who’s dressing in your locker?’ We don’t have that so I have to come up with a new line this year.

The goal is to win the Super Bowl. We won’t shy away. We talk about it the first day and then we talk about the process, every day the process.

"

If the Cardinals can keep their key players healthy, they'll certainly be in contention to earn a title this season.

Schedule 

Week	Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
1	Sept. 13	vs. New Orleans Saints	4:05 p.m.	Fox
2	Sept. 20	at Chicago Bears	1 p.m.	Fox
3	Sept. 27	vs. San Francisco 49ers	4:05 p.m.	Fox
4	Oct. 4	vs. St. Louis Rams	4:25 p.m.	Fox
5	Oct. 11	at Detroit Lions	4:05 p.m.	Fox
6	Oct. 18	at Pittsburgh Steelers	1 p.m.	Fox
7	Oct. 26	vs. Baltimore Ravens	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
8	Nov. 1	at Cleveland Browns	1 p.m.	Fox
9	Bye	Bye	Bye	Bye
10	Nov. 15	at Seattle Seahawks	8:30 p.m.	NBC
11	Nov. 22	vs. Cincinnati Bengals	4:05 p.m.	CBS
12	Nov. 29	at San Francisco 49ers	4:05 p.m.	Fox
13	Dec. 6	at St. Louis Rams	1 p.m.	Fox
14	Dec. 10	vs. Minnesota Vikings	8:25 p.m.	NFLN
15	Dec. 20	at Philadelphia Eagles	1 p.m.	Fox
16	Dec. 27	vs. Green Bay Packers	4:25 p.m.	Fox
17	Jan. 3	vs. Seattle Seahawks	4:25 p.m.	Fox

Analysis

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The Cardinals have a rough schedule. Playing six games in the NFC West is difficult enough, with the San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks all representing tough matchups. But even out of conference, the Cardinals won't have too many easy matchups.

For starters, facing the AFC North and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals—all playoff teams in 2014—is rough, though getting the Ravens and Bengals at home helps. 

Facing the NFC North isn't much easier. The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions were both playoff teams a season ago and won't be easy victories, even if Arizona gets the Packers at home, while the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings won't be pushovers. 

Add in a road game against Chip Kelly and the uptempo—if completely rebuilt—Philadelphia Eagles and a home game against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, and the Cardinals have quite the gauntlet to face this season. 

Pivotal Matchups

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More than likely, the NFC West will come down to the Cardinals and Seahawks this season, making the matchups between the two teams pivotal.

The fact that Seattle added one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the game this offseason, tight end Jimmy Graham, means knocking Seattle off its perch as the cream of the crop in the NFC West won't be easy.

The Seahawks will go into 2015 as dangerous ever, with Russell Wilson making plays in the passing game, Marshawn Lynch bowling over defenders and the Legion of Boom remaining largely intact minus Byron Maxwell, who signed with the Eagles.

Pete Carroll's bunch won't be easy to beat. And that's before you even consider that Arians is 1-3 against Seattle.

But if the Cardinals do hurdle the Seahawks in the NFC West this year, the other key matchup could be against the Packers, one of the teams that will be expected to fight for the top seed in the NFC playoffs. Aaron Rodgers remains one of the top players in football, Eddie Lacy emerged as a top running back last year and the return of Randall Cobb this offseason means the passing attack should be as dangerous as ever.

If the Cardinals want to earn the top seed or even a first-round bye, the matchup against the Packers could be huge. Given the team's roster and the talent atop the NFC, a wild-card berth seems more realistic, and given the team's tough schedule, it wouldn't be shocking if the Cardinals struggled to repeat last year's success. 

Still, the pieces are in place for a playoff berth. Anything less than getting past Wild Card Weekend will be considered a failure.