With a couple of days to sit and marinate on the Arizona Cardinals schedule for the 2020 season, there were five main ideas to be taken away.
Let’s take a look.
Two primetime games for now...
The NFL did not want a repeat of the 2019 Cleveland Browns disaster where they had four primetime games, including three in the first five weeks.
With this season schedule, the Cardinals get a middle of the season primetime game on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys and a late midseason Thursday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The NFC West will be decided after the bye week...
If the Arizona Cardinals want to make a play in the NFC West in 2020, they’ll have a shot in the back half of their schedule. The Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers week one and the Seattle Seahawks in week seven, then after the bye week: Seahawks week 11, Rams week 13, 49ers week 16, Rams week 17.
If the Cardinals can keep pace outside of the division, they can have a play in the division in the second half of the season.
Middle of the season bye week...
It is not too early. It is not too late. They need to make hay in the start of the season, then get ready for a rough back half.
Primetime on the road...
We discussed it earlier, the Cardinals only have two primetime games, but both of those games are on the road against big time teams. If the Cardinals are for real, they need to show it in these games.
Three game road trip could define the season...
The Cardinals drew a short straw. After the Cardinals first three games, where two are at home, they go on a three game road trip that could really determine the outcome of their season.
The first leg of the trip is the Carolina Panthers, then it us to the New York Jets and finally it is their Monday Night Football clash with the Dallas Cowboys.
That is a tough road to travel and the Cardinals need to find a way to go 2-1 at minimum if they want to compete in 2020.
If they are a playoff contender, they better show it early, and that is within the first six weeks of the season.