We’re officially less than one week away from the 2021 NFL regular season and there’s a lot of intrigue for the Arizona Cardinals.
Will Kyler Murray make an even bigger leap? How will the new key additions in J.J. Watt, A.J. Green and Rodney Hudson turn out? Will the 2021 rookie class shine as they did in the preseason? Are the cornerbacks going to perform better than we think? Do coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim have a future with this team?
It’s unfortunate for the Cardinals that they lost their starting cornerback in Malcolm Butler and now have a CB group that will be tested beyond belief. It’s also unfortunate the Cards are arguably in the toughest division in football. But no one is going to feel sorry for any football team.
In the first four weeks, Arizona has three away games. The Cardinals then have three home games in the next four games. From then on, it’s back and forth from away to home each week with a bye in Week 12. Arizona has a total of nine road games and eight home games in 2021.
We’ll hit the lottery after the season if we nail every game. Here’s a look at our predictions for each game of the 2021 season and if the Cardinals reach the playoffs.
Cardinals Week 1 at Tennessee Titans
30-27 Loss (0-1)
Kyler Murray and company should thrive against Tennesee’s defense, which allowed opponents to get first downs on 51.9% of their third-down opportunities last season. Fortunately for the Titans, QB Ryan Tannehill was just activated from the reserve/COVID list. New Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing will look to exploit the inexperienced corners in Arizona with AJ Brown and newly acquired Julio Jones. Arizona will need their pass rush in Jones, Watt and the rest of the DL in order to win. It’ll be a close game, but the combination of Derrick Henry and Tannehill’s ability to win in close games could be the difference. Tannehill had six game-winning drives in 2020, and this game could be his first in 2021.
Cardinals Week 2 vs Minnesota Vikings
30-24 Win (1-1)
Patrick Peterson’s revenge game? Peterson, who’s been very vociferous against his former team, will play the Cardinals in the second game. Coach Mike Zimmer’s defense took a huge step back in 2020 but he will be getting back Danielle Hunter, Michael Peters and Eric Kendricks at full strength. While there’s a huge likelihood their defense will improve mightily, the offense could regress. This game still should be tough for Arizona in terms of covering Justin Jefferson and stopping Dalvin Cook. But Chandler Jones and the defensive line pass rush can get to immobile Kirk Cousins, especially with their young offensive line. That could be the difference.
Cardinals Week 3 at Jacksonville Jaguars
38-17 Win (2-1)
It would be a sign of trouble for the Cardinals if they don’t have a field day against the Jaguars’ young defense. If Arizona were to lose the first two games, this would be a nice matchup to get on the right track. This isn’t the Jaguars of old with poor QB play. First overall pick Trevor Lawrence should make every game interesting, but this is a tough matchup for a roster that isn’t built to win immediately. We should expect at least a two-touchdown difference in points favoring the Cardinals for this game.
Cardinals Week 4 at Los Angeles Rams
35-27 Loss (2-2)
Coach Sean McVay got his guy in Matthew Stafford and the upgrade he wanted after Jared Goff’s inconsistent play. This will be a tough task for corners Robert Alford, Byron Murphy and rookie Marco Wilson as Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp should create havoc. If they’re smart, the Rams should pass on the Cardinals all day. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have to utilize Isaiah Simmons in the slot, safety and edge and Zaven Collins to the maximum in order to make this a close game.
Cardinals Week 5 vs San Francisco 49ers
23-17 Win (3-2)
The 49ers can be a victim just like the Cardinals of a tough division in 2021. But Kyle Shanahan can make the most of a roster that’s now getting key players back in George Kittle and Nick Bosa. The question will be the quarterback for the 49ers in Week 5. Jimmy Garoppolo will start Week 1, but the raw rookie Trey Lance could be enticing. This game will be a battle of the trenches and the 49ers love to surprise opponents with their different options of running attacks. Be on the lookout for DeAndre Hopkins, who had a season-high 16 targets and 151 yards against the 49ers in Week 1 of 2020. Hopkins could be the difference-maker here.
Cardinals Week 6 @ Cleveland Browns
24-17 Loss (3-3)
There’s an argument to be made the Cleveland Browns are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They’re well-coached in Kevin Stefanski who has turned around Baker Mayfield’s play and the players around him. Pass rush is king in the NFL and the Browns found more help for Myles Garrett in Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley. Coach Kingsbury will have to be creative with Kyler in order to succeed and that might not be enough. If you pick games solely on head coaching, this would be a good game to do so.
Cardinals Week 7 vs Houston Texans
35-14 Win (4-3)
The Texans might be the worst team in the NFL. Deshaun Watson will unlikely appear in a game this season and Tyrod Taylor doesn’t move the needle. Without any picks in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL draft, it’s clear the Texans are way behind everyone else.
Cardinals Week 8 vs Green Bay Packers (Thursday Night Football)
34-28 Loss (4-4)
Every team with the Packers on their schedule was licking their chops at the thought of Aaron Rodgers not playing in Green Bay. Now, the Cardinals will play the Packers with their fully operational squad on primetime. I think you’re seeing the trend that the Cardinals might have to play in shootouts with their lack of cornerback depth. The Packers should exploit Arizona with Davante Adams and Aaron Jones. Zaven Collins should help their rushing defense attack, but Arizona gave up 125 yards per game against running backs in 2021.
Cardinals Week 9 @ San Francisco 49ers
24-21 Loss (4-5)
After winning against San Francisco in Week 5, a similar style of game will happen in Week 9. This time, the 49ers will prosper as it appears after a tough loss against the Bears on Halloween, Trey Lance gets the nod to make his first start of the season. Lance had a small chip in his right index finger before the season which made it more obvious Garoppolo would start. But we think the 49ers eventually roll with Lance in a divisional matchup at home, which could help Lance because of the lack of tape on him.
Cardinals Week 10 vs Carolina Panthers
31-20 Win (5-5)
It was surprising seeing how confident the Panthers were in trading for fourth-year Sam Darnold — even more surprising since Panthers held the eighth spot with Justin Fields and even Mac Jones still on the board. The Panthers now have Christian McCaffrey healthy along with DJ Moore and Robby Anderson so Darnold will be given playmaking help. But Darnold’s lack of upside paired with Carolina’s subpar offensive line and unproven defense are definitely aspects to look at. The Cardinals shouldn’t have trouble in this matchup.
Cardinals Week 11 @ Seattle Seahawks
34-28 Loss (5-6)
It’s always going to be a fight when these two teams play each other. In 2020, the Cardinals won in overtime in Arizona and the Seahawks won late with a touchdown in their second matchup When it’s in CenturyLink and now Lumen Field in Seattle, the Seahawks are alpha dogs. They were 7-1 in Seattle and most of the roster is returning. Both teams have great talents at safety in Budda Baker and Jamal Adams, who now has linebacker-like qualities (coverage not included). Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray should have great games, but we’ll give the edge to Seattle.
Cardinals Week 13 @ Chicago Bears
28-10 Win (6-6)
Arizona finally has a game where they look unstoppable defensively. This largely might have to do with Chicago’s offensive woes, but Justin Fields should be starting by this point. While Fields has the talent to be successful, the offensive line could hurt whoever’s at QB this season. Rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins’ season could be over after undergoing back surgery. Right tackle German Ifedi had a hip flexor issue early in training camp and didn’t look good in the preseason. The Bears also have the oldest team in the NFL and their cornerback situation is right up there with the Cardinals as among the worst in the league.
Cardinals Week 14 vs Los Angeles Rams (Monday Night Football)
27-20 Win (7-6)
Sitting at 6-6, this is a must-win game for the team in the desert. Arizona’s defense needs to turn it up a notch to not get swept by the Rams. On Monday Night Football, their hope lands with their corners. Maybe by this time in December, the Cardinals added a corner before the deadline or players like Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson become competent starters. Nonetheless, the Cardinals squeak out a win on the national stage.
Cardinals Week 15 @ Detroit Lions
37-15 Win (8-6)
The Cardinals could experiment all they win in Week 15 against the Detroit Lions. We haven’t mentioned the run game so this game could see a lot of Chase Edmonds and James Conner. The Lions allowed a league-worst 27 touchdown against running backs and a league-worst 770 yards and 10 touchdowns for backs in the passing game. I think Kyler Murray can run a little bit too.
Cardinals Week 16 vs Indianapolis Colts
23-17 Win (9-6)
Some pundits didn’t take the Colts seriously when the Colts brought in an aging Phillip Rivers in 2020. They went on to make the playoffs. While we’re not fully committing to the Colts making the playoffs in 2021, Carson Wentz could surprise people. He’s expecting to play Week 1, but Wentz has only played 16 games in a season twice out of five seasons. We’re predicting as if Wentz is playing, as the Colts make the game interesting with their good coaching in Frank Reich. The Cardinals are starting to make noise across the league as they’ve won four games in a row.
Cardinals Week 17 @ Dallas Cowboys
35-30 Loss (9-7)
This is a rematch from 2020 where the Cardinals destroyed the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott had a few fumbles and former Cardinal Kenyan Drake had himself a career game. The bad news for Arizona is Andy Dalton won’t be starting in this one. Dak Prescott is healthy for the most part and the Cowboys’ firepower on offense should be electric. While this is a winnable game for the Cardinals, this should be a battle that comes to the wire. The Cowboys could have the last laugh with their steller WR corps in Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
Cardinals Week 18 vs Seattle Seahawks
26-24 Loss (9-8)
After losing to the Cowboys, this game could decide the playoffs for the Cardinals. Winning 10 games in 2021 could get a team to sneak into the Wild Card. The problem is the Seahawks don’t want to see that happen. Despite already being in the playoffs, Seattle is going full-fledged on offense and defense. We’ve seen it happen for the 2018 Vikings losing to the 12-4 Bears when a team in the playoffs still puts out an effort. This game will be close, like usual, but DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are too much for Arizona. The Cards’ defensive line is gassed in this one and the Seahawks kick a game-winning field goal to cap off an incredible Week 18 game.
2021 Arizona Cardinals Prediction
9-8 (No playoffs)
To think with all of the additions the Cardinals made in 2021, adding just one win from 2020 seems negligent at first. But the schedule is much tougher this season. There are some areas for the Cardinals that could’ve been resolved better in the cornerback, defensive tackle and tight end positions. A 9-8 record won’t get the Cardinals to the playoffs which could signal a need for change. On the bright side, Kyler Murray should blossom into a top 10 quarterback in 2021 and he can have a chance at an extension with Arizona in 2022. The 2021 draft picks in Zaven Collins, Rondale Moore and Marco Wilson should make decent contributions. And if you think the cornerbacks significantly improve, this team can and should make the playoffs. There’s a chance the Cardinals can make the playoffs. But it’s fair to say this team is a boom or semi-bust team. Since we have this team at 9-8, let’s just say we met in the middle.
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