Cardinals Could Be Screwed by 2022 NFL Schedule

The 2022 NFL Draft featured a total of 262 prospects being selected by teams across the league and a number of undrafted free agents signed deals afterwards as well. The entire process acted a jolt for NFL fans as anticipation for the season is starting to rise ahead of the schedule release on May 12.

Keep in mind fans already know the opponents their favorite team will play in 2022, just not specific dates or order. The Arizona Cardinals will look to turn things around after a disappointing playoff loss last postseason, but that may not be the simplest goal to accomplish given their upcoming schedule.

Cardinals Schedule 2022

Sports Illustrated's Zach Koons put together a strength of schedule metric based on the known opponents and their 2021 regular-season records. The Cardinals checked in with the second-hardest schedule in the NFL and trailed only the Los Angeles Rams in the rankings.

Of course, Arizona is stuck playing in one of the toughest divisions in the league. While the Cardinals were able to sweep both the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in 2021, they themselves were swept by the Los Angeles Rams. These divisional matchups are always anyone's game.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury's team will also take on opponents from the AFC West and NFC South. Five of those eight teams finished with at least 9 wins last year. Matchups with a pair of 2021 playoff teams in the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles don't make things any easier, either.

The Cardinals will have to be at the top of their game if they want to make some noise in the NFC this fall. Oddsmakers have certainly noticed the tough schedule and give Arizona +2700 odds to win Super Bowl 57, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Those chances rank 14th in the NFL.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.