It's never easy being the team nobody expects to win. For the Arizona Cardinals, that reality has been quantified in the harshest terms possible: according to the initial betting lines released following the 2026 schedule drop, the Cardinals are underdogs in every single game this season.
Yes, all 17 of them.
Let that sink in for a moment. From the season opener through Week 18, oddsmakers see the Cardinals as the lesser team on the field every Sunday (and Monday, and Thursday). It's a rare distinction in the modern NFL, where parity typically ensures at least a couple of soft spots on any team's slate. But for a franchise in the middle of a significant transition--new head coach, new quarterback room, and a roster that general manager Monti Ossenfort has aggressively overhauled--the betting markets are signaling a long, uphill climb.
What the Odds Actually Tell Us
It's important to understand what these betting lines represent and what they don't. Opening lines are not predictions of how many games a team will win. They are market-driven numbers designed to split action evenly between two sides. That said, when a team is installed as a dog in all 17 games, it reflects a collective assessment by professional oddsmakers that the Cardinals, on paper, are less talented or less proven than every opponent on their schedule.
The last time a team opened as a full-season underdog? We've seen it before with teams in full rebuild mode--think the 2017 Cleveland Browns or the 2008 Detroit Lions. The company Arizona is keeping isn't flattering.
For the Cardinals specifically, the outlook makes some sense when you consider the state of the roster. After the departure of Kyler Murray, the team is rolling into the season with a quarterback room featuring Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew II, Kedon Slovis, and rookie Carson Beck. While Brissett and Minshew are capable veterans who have won games as starters, neither is viewed as a franchise-altering talent. The team is essentially holding auditions for the long-term answer under center.
The betting lines suggest that, at least for now, the oddsmakers are projecting a ceiling of somewhere between five and seven wins--and that's if everything breaks right.
A Schedule Built of Gauntlets
The Cardinals' 2026 schedule doesn't do them any favors. Playing in the NFC West alone means dealing with two of the most consistently competitive organizations in football. The San Francisco 49ers remain loaded on both sides of the ball. The Los Angeles Rams continue to find creative ways to reload. The Seattle Seahawks have invested heavily in their defense and receiving corps. None of those three figure to be pushovers.
Beyond the division, Arizona draws matchups against the AFC North and NFC East--two of the league's deepest and most physical divisions. That means games against the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and others--teams with established stars and playoff aspirations.
The Cardinals' best path to pulling an upset--and to avoiding the ignominy of an 0-17 season--likely comes in games against similarly rebuilding clubs or teams with significant question marks. But even those contests aren't viewed favorably by the betting markets.
The Roster Picture Under Ossenfort
Monti Ossenfort has not been idle. If you look at the depth chart, the roster churn has been significant. The defensive line has been infused with young talent, including second-year man Darius Robinson and second-year Walter Nolen III, who joins a group that also features Andrew Billings and Roy Lopez. The edge rush room now includes Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, and BJ Ojulari, giving defensive coordinator Nick Rallis a pass-rush stable that looks much deeper than a year ago.
In the secondary, the team landed one of the offseason's biggest prizes in cornerback Will Johnson, the former Michigan standout who fills a massive need opposite Sean Murphy-Bunting. Safety Budda Baker remains the heartbeat of the defense, and the depth at corner--including Max Melton, Garrett Williams, and Denzel Burke--looks promising on paper.
The offensive skill positions have also seen turnover. James Conner is still the lead back, but the addition of Tyler Allgeier gives the ground game a powerful one-two punch. Trey Benson and rookie Jeremiyah Love provide depth and change-of-pace options. At receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. enters his second season as the clear WR1, with Michael Wilson, newcomer Kendrick Bourne, and a deep group of pass-catchers competing for targets. Trey McBride remains one of the league's most underrated tight ends.
The question, as always, is how these pieces fit together--and who will be pulling the trigger.
Mike LaFleur's First Year as Head Coach
This season also marks the first for Mike LaFleur as head coach. After serving as the offensive coordinator under Robert Saleh with the New York Jets, LaFleur gets his shot at leading a franchise. He'll have Nathaniel Hackett as his offensive coordinator and Nick Rallis continuing as defensive coordinator--stability on that side of the ball after Jonathan Gannon's departure.
For LaFleur, the underdog label might actually be liberating. There are no expectations. No one is predicting a playoff run. The pressure to win immediately is minimal. What matters for LaFleur is development--getting the most out of whichever quarterback earns the starting job, building an offensive identity, and showing progress as the season unfolds.
The betting lines suggest the Cardinals will struggle. But seasons aren't won or lost in May, and rosters evolve. Players emerge. A 17-game season provides opportunities for growth, for surprise performances, and for teams to redefine themselves.
What Would Success Look Like?
For a team opening as underdogs in every game, measuring success requires adjusting expectations. A six-win season, in this context, would be a significant achievement. Winning more than that would qualify as a genuine surprise.
But the real victory for the Cardinals in 2026 isn't about the win-loss column alone. It's about identifying a long-term quarterback solution, developing young players like Harrison Jr., Robinson, and the rookie class into core contributors, and establishing a culture under LaFleur that can attract talent in future free agency cycles.
The underdog label stings, but it also clarifies. There are no illusions about where this team stands. The Cardinals know what the oddsmakers think of them. The question now is whether they can prove the market wrong.
Every week, they'll have a chance. Every week, they'll be told they can't. For a franchise looking to build something real, that kind of adversity might be exactly what's needed to forge a new identity.
The games aren't played on paper. They're played on grass. And in the NFL, underdogs occasionally roar.