Predicting Rest of Cardinals Schedule

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are fresh off their bye week and hope to continue their winning ways against a tough San Francisco 49ers squad that is playing some of the best football in the league.

Sitting at just 3-10, the Cardinals hope to leave 2023 on a high note with their remaining four games, though a handful of tough tests await them. According to Tankathon, their remaining strength of schedule of .596 is the fourth-highest in the NFL.

How will Arizona finish the season? Let's give our predictions:

Week 15 vs San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals - for lack of better terms - were throttled in their last meeting with the 49ers in 35-16 fashion.

For what it's worth, Arizona appears to be a much different team now, the main difference being the presence of Kyler Murray.

Is that enough?

San Francisco continues to be the gold standard of the league (having the only playoff spot clinched thus far) while Arizona has seen ups and downs with Murray back at the helm.

With the 49ers so strong on both sides of the ball, it'd be extremely tough to expect a win.

Projected result: Loss

Week 16 @ Chicago Bears

With a projected record of 3-11, the Cardinals march into the Windy City with what is undoubtedly the most winnable game remaining in their stretch.

It's hard to find slam-dunk teams that Arizona could chalk up as wins, though the Bears present that exact opportunity.

Maybe we're selling them short - the Bears have strung together wins over the Lions and Vikings in consecutive weeks.

Yet Chicago is only two wins above Arizona and nobody knows when Justin Fields will reverse course. For our money, the Cardinals have a favorable roster compared to the Bears.

If the Pittsburgh weather wasn't a problem for Gannon and co., count me in for a win at Soldier Field.

Projected result: Win

Week 17 @ Philadelphia Eagles

How sweet would it be for Gannon to win his homecoming after James Conner did the same at Acrisure Stadium?

The only problem? The Eagles are far better than the Steelers and present far more problems on both sides of the ball.

Philadelphia has looked inferior to competition like SF and DAL while certainly being vulnerable for an upset. The familiarity factor with Gannon should help, too.

It wouldn't be the most *shocking* win of the century, but the Eagles should still be favorites for good reason.

Projected result: Loss

Week 18 vs Seattle Seahawks

The NFL has done a great job in scheduling division matchups for the final week of the season, and Week 18 could be a big week for Arizona's NFC West foe.

The Cardinals - very much out of the postseason picture - would love nothing more than to play spoiler to any potential playoff implications Seattle might have.

The Seahawks are odd - it feels like they can compete with anybody but aren't convincing enough to pencil this game as a win for them.

They're below .500 and with an inspired Cardinals squad looking to end their year on a high note, they should absolutely be on upset watch - Geno Smith healthy or not.

Draft position be damned, Arizona treats this like their own playoff game.

Projected result: Win

End of season record: 5-12