The Arizona Cardinals are in for a tough road after their 2026 schedule was released. They’ve struggled in recent years, and it seems the difficulties are likely to continue. Arizona doesn’t have a true answer at quarterback and could be headed to the top of the draft for a new quarterback.
Arizona Cardinals Could Have the Worst Record in NFL
The Cardinals have the toughest schedule in the NFL based on how each team did in the previous season. They rank among the hardest schedules in PFSN’s rankings. The NFL world took to social media to react to the Cardinals’ rough outlook for the 2026 season.
“Arch Manning incoming,” said NFL social media personality Peter Bukowski.
Arch Manning incoming https://t.co/nzGWub3V3F
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) May 14, 2026
The Cardinals could use Manning. They have solid offensive weapons with Jeremiyah Love, Trey McBride, and Marvin Harrison Jr. With a new quarterback, the Cardinals could change their luck. But they might be destined to suffer in 2026 due to their tough schedule.
“Arizona might have gotten the most disgusting opening 13 weeks in the entire league,” said social media personality Matt Picks.
Arizona might have gotten the most disgusting opening 13 weeks in the entire league 😭
— Matt (@MattPicks_) May 14, 2026
The Cardinals have to play the defending champion Seahawks twice, the Rams twice, the Eagles, the Lions, the Broncos, and the Chiefs all within these first 13 weeks. It’s not going to be a cakewalk.
“Assuming the reported Cardinals schedule is accurate, it’s a joke played by the NFL. In the first 9 weeks, there are 6 road games against teams with a combined record of 60-41-1 in 2025 and 7 in the first 11. Then, 5 of the final 6 will be home for a team expected to struggle,” said Cardinals reporter Howard Balzer.
Assuming the reported Cardinals schedule is accurate, it’s a joke played by the NFL. In the first 9 weeks, there are 6 road games against teams with a combined record of 60-41-1 in 2025 and 7 in the first 11. Then, 5 of final 6 will be home for a team expected to struggle.
— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) May 14, 2026
The Cardinals have a fourth place schedule meaning they are playing teams that finished fourth beyond their regularly scheduled divisional matches. Cardinals social media personality Jaylen was floored by the difficulty of the schedule.
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“THIS IS A 4TH PLACE SCHEDULE??” said Jaylen.
THIS IS A 4TH PLACE SCHEDULE?? https://t.co/yo6dDsDZnR pic.twitter.com/vnWgf4kcBX
— Jaylen (@cantgardjay) May 14, 2026
“Absolutely brutal. lol,” added Cardinals reporter Kelly Singh about the quality of the opponents Arizona will face in the upcoming season.
Now, it’s time for the Cardinals to get ready for Week 1. It won’t be easy, but they’ll have to get up for the task as Mike LaFluer gets set for his head coaching debut.
According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, the Cardinals had the league’s 22nd ranked offense last season, and they must improve on that under their new head coach.
