B/R Says Cardinals Could Have Disaster Start to Season
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It's all about timing for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals will open their season against the Kansas City Chiefs, a perennial AFC powerhouse as long as Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes still have a pulse. Then they'll flock to Allegiant Stadium and take on a Las Vegas Raiders team that now has Davante Adams (and Chandler Jones for those interested) before returning home to play NFC West rivals (and defending Super Bowl champion) Los Angeles Rams.
They'll be without receiver DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season, too.
Needless to say, the Cardinals will have to adjust on the fly and take every punch on the chin as they look to navigate their initial three-game stretch to open the schedule.
Games aren't won on paper, but things don't look promising for Arizona according to Bleacher Report.
In their latest article finding teams who are set up for a disaster start to the season, the Cardinals were front and center due to their difficult slate of games.
B/R Says Cards Have Tough Road to Open Schedule
"The Arizona Cardinals have enjoyed some scorching starts with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm. That includes a 7-0 start to the 2021 season in which Kyler Murray looked like an MVP candidate and the Cards looked like a Super Bowl contender," said Alex Ballentine.
"Getting off to that kind of start in 2022 is going to be exponentially more difficult.
"For one, the team lost a few key contributors that are going to be difficult to replace. Chandler Jones walked in free agency after notching 10.5 sacks last season. Christian Kirk led the team in receiving last season and took a lucrative deal in Jacksonville.
"The team did trade for Marquise Brown, but they will also be without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season while he serves a suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
"It's a lot of production to replace while relying on aging veterans like Zach Ertz (31 years old), A.J. Green (34) and J.J. Watt (33).
"It's also a lot to figure out when they start the season with the Kansas City Chiefs, a Las Vegas Raiders team that just added Davante Adams and Jones and then the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams."
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