Welcome to one of the most exciting days of the NFL offseason!
The Arizona Cardinals, along with every other team, eagerly await today's 5:00 PM AZ time release of the full 2026 regular season schedule.
With time slowly but surely ticking towards the finish line, we're beginning to hear and see various leaks of the team's schedule through social media.
The latest updates can be found here:
Cardinals Will Face Chargers in Season Opener
The Arizona Cardinals will open the 2026 NFL regular season at the Los Angeles Chargers. pic.twitter.com/MtCSKKuiW0
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) May 14, 2026
We finally have our mystery solved!
The Cardinals are reportedly going to be road warriors in Week 1 and will face the Los Angeles Chargers, a short flight to Los Angeles in what will be their season opener.
Arizona last opened the season at home in 2022, so the recent trend of starting out as road warriors continues. We were really hoping for that to change on our schedule wishlist, but alas — beggars can't be choosers.
The Cardinals previously saw potential options in the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants dwindle over the course of the past week in terms of season openers.
Speaking of the Giants:
Cardinals to Play Giants in Week 4
Giants Schedule per sources @GiantsNationPod
Week 1: 9/13 v. Cowboys (SNF)
Week 2: 9/21 @ Rams (MNF)
Week 3: 9/27 v. Titans
Week 4: 10/4 v. Cardinals
Week 5: 10/11 @ Commanders
Week 6: 10/18 v. Saints
Week 7: 10/25 @ Texans
Week 8: Bye
Week 9: 11/8 @ Eagles
Week 10: 11/12 v.…
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) May 14, 2026
Another road test is known for the Cardinals, as they'll be in New York in Week 4 to battle the Giants.
This game is actually the furthest they'll travel all season and is the only game they'll truly play on the other coast. All others are in the Midwest and west coast.
Not a bad break to get this road trip out of the way early, especially for an Arizona team that doesn't have to travel much to begin with.
Cardinals Have Tough Schedule Ahead
Based off projected wins for next season, the Cardinals have the toughest schedule in the NFL. When using strength of schedule from last year's winning percentage, Arizona has the third-toughest schedule in the league.
For a team with a first-year head coach and unknown quarterback situation, that's not quite great news.
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