Arizona Cardinals introduce NFL draft picks Will Johnson, Cody Simon
The Arizona Cardinals picked Will Johnson and Cody Simon in the 2025 NFL Draft, and formally introduced the rookies to the media on May 8, 2025.
NFL die-hards can start making their fall plans now. On Wednesday, May 14, the league announced full schedules for all 32 teams.
It’s an exciting time for the Arizona Cardinals, who will play two prime-time games in 2025 and enter the season with legitimate playoff aspirations for the first time in the Jonathan Gannon era.
Much will change between now and September, as teams go through training camp and preseason, but here are our early predictions for each game on the Cardinals’ schedule. All times MST:
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7 at New Orleans Saints, CBS, 10 a.m.
At 300/1, the Saints have the league’s worst odds of winning the Super Bowl. It’s easy to see why. Second-round pick Tyler Shough is likely to be their starting quarterback and the rest of the roster isn’t much better. The Cardinals will likely be heavy road favorites to open the season.
Prediction: Cardinals over Saints
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14 vs. Carolina Panthers, CBS, 1:05 p.m.
The Panthers have had the Cardinals’ number in recent years. They destroyed them in the 2016 NFC championship game, started their downfall in 2021 and eliminated them from playoff contention last season. That stretch could continue here. The Cardinals will likely enter the game as favorites, but Bryce Young showed down the stretch that he can be relied upon as a franchise quarterback. This is a good early test for Arizona.
Prediction: Panthers over Cardinals
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21 at San Francisco 49ers, Fox, 1:25 p.m.
The Cardinals’ 24-23 win in Santa Clara last October was the first sign that their rebuild had turned a corner. Even if it didn’t ultimately lead to a playoff berth, it showed that this team could be competitive again in the NFC West. There’s no reason to think they can’t replicate the feat with a much-improved roster in 2025.
Prediction: Cardinals over 49ers
Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 25 vs. Seattle Seahawks, Prime Video, 5:15 p.m.
The Seahawks have spent the season overhauling their offense. Geno Smith is out, replaced by Sam Darnold. DK Metcalf is out, replaced by Cooper Kupp. Even coordinator Ryan Grubb is out, replaced by Klint Kubiak. Is the overall product better than it was a year ago? That remains to be seen, but the Cardinals won’t mind seeing some new faces. This Seahawks team essentially single-handedly ended their playoff hopes in a pair of crushing defeats late last season.
Prediction: Cardinals over Seahawks
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5 vs. Tennessee Titans, CBS, 1:05 p.m.
The Titans hope that they’ve finally found a franchise quarterback in Cam Ward. But even if the No. 1 overall pick ascends to immediate stardom, there’s a reason this team was picking at the top of the draft. It could be years before the Titans are ready to contend.
Prediction: Cardinals over Titans
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12 at Indianapolis Colts, Fox, 10 a.m.
The Colts’ hopes in 2025 will largely be dependent on Anthony Richardson, and whether he can emerge into a reliable option under center. Coming off a sophomore season in which he had more touchdowns than interceptions, that’s a risky bet.
Prediction: Cardinals over Colts
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19 vs. Green Bay Packers, Fox, 1:25 p.m.
The unfortunate reality for the Cardinals is that home games against NFC North opponents offer home-field advantage in name only. Last season, it was Bears and Lions fans who descended on State Farm Stadium in droves. This year, it’ll be Packers fans. That could tilt the advantage to Green Bay in what is, on paper, an even matchup.
Prediction: Packers over Cardinals
Week 8: OFF
Week 9: Monday, Nov. 3 at Dallas Cowboys, ESPN/ABC, 6:15 p.m.
The Cowboys are no longer much of a contender in the NFC West, with the Eagles continued dominance and the Commanders emergence. But with Dak Prescott back from injury and George Pickens arriving to complement CeeDee Lamb, they can enter the season with reasonable aspirations of returning to the playoffs. That makes them favorites against the Cardinals at home on Monday Night Football.
Prediction: Cowboys over Cardinals
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9 at Seattle Seahawks, CBS, 2:05 p.m.
The Seahawks’ home-field advantage isn’t what it was at the peak of their Legion of Boom heyday, but their dominance over the Cardinals remains strong. They’ve won seven in a row against Arizona. That makes it difficult to envision the Cardinals winning both matchups between the teams. An even split, with each team winning at home, is the most likely outcome.
Prediction: Seahawks over Cardinals
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16 vs. San Francisco 49ers, Fox, 2:05 p.m.
Despite last season’s 6-11 finish, the 49ers are currently the oddsmakers’ favorite to win the NFC West. If that reality plays out, this could be a crucial game for the Cardinals’ division hopes. And for the first time in recent memory, it’s Arizona that has the more talented roster. The 49ers have them beat when it comes to household names, but their corps is aging.
Prediction: Cardinals over 49ers
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, CBS, 2:05 p.m.
With a new regime in charge and Travis Hunter arriving as the second overall pick, the Jaguars are suddenly intriguing. Their success, though, is dependent on Trevor Lawrence. And in four seasons, he has not proved himself as a playoff-caliber quarterback. Advantage: Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
Prediction: Cardinals over Jaguars
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fox, 11 a.m.
The Buccaneers will have to navigate the loss of offensive coordinator Liam Coen but they still have the talent to win the NFC South, especially on offense. That unit is led by Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and first-round pick Emeka Egbuka — a difficult group to deal with, even for this new-look Cardinals defense. This is the exact type of 50/50 game that the Cardinals need to win to make themselves a playoff team.
Prediction: Cardinals over Buccaneers
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7 vs. Los Angeles Rams, Fox, 2:25 p.m.
The Cardinals dominated a depleted Rams team in Glendale last season, putting together one of their most complete performances of the season in a 41-10 win. Don’t expect this game to be as easy — the Rams figured things out down the stretch to win the division and nearly reach the NFC championship game. Their offense is the most explosive in the division.
Prediction: Rams over Cardinals
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14 at Houston Texans, Fox, 11 a.m.
This will be a major test for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense, especially if they enter with their playoff hopes still hanging in the balance. Led by Will Anderson — who was selected with the No. 3 overall pick that Arizona traded away in 2023 — the Texans have a formidable defense. But their offensive line remains a mystery, to go with a charitable outlook. That creates a significant opportunity for the Cardinals’ remade defensive front.
Prediction: Cardinals over Texans
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21 vs. Atlanta Falcons, Fox, 2:05 p.m.
The Falcons’ offseason focus has been overhauling their pass rush with the additions of Leonard Floyd, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Their success in 2025, though, depends more on the growth of second-year quarterback Michael Penix. He has his work cut out to guide this roster to the playoffs.
Prediction: Cardinals over Falcons
Week 17: Saturday or Sunday, Dec. 27-28 at Cincinnati Bengals, TBD
The Bengals host the Cardinals in a very likely cold-weather environment. Cincinnati hasn’t done much in the way of external additions this offseason, but the Bengals have kept their core together, unless Trey Hendrickson follows through on his threatened holdout. That star power — think Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Hendrickson — makes them a formidable opponent, even if it’s hard to envision them making a deep playoff run in a stacked AFC.
Prediction: Bengals over Cardinals
Week 18: Saturday or Sunday, Jan. 3-4 at Los Angeles Rams, TBD
The Cardinals haven’t found much success in Los Angeles since the Rams moved back, going just 3-7 in those games. The teams are more even now than they’ve been for much of that period, but this is still an uphill battle. In an ideal world, the Cardinals would take care of business and clinch a playoff spot before they get to this point.
Prediction: Rams over Cardinals