THIS WEEK’S PREVIEW
Coming off an 11-win campaign and a postseason berth in 2021, the Cardinals open the 2022 season by hosting the defending AFC West Champion Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
The contest kicks off the Cardinals 17Ǧǚ regular season at State Farm Stadium where Arizona is 11-4-1 in home openers. This marks the 10Ǧǚ Ɵ me the Cardinals play at home in Week 1 since beginning play at State Farm Stadium after never opening a season at home in 18 seasons at Sun Devil Stadium.
Arizona has never lost in Week 1 under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Dating back to his first season with the Cardinals in 2019, the team is 2-0-1 in season-openers, including wins in both 2020 and 2021.
The 2022 season is the third straight in which the Cardinals open against a team that won 11+ games the previous year. In 2020 Arizona opened with a 24-20 victory over the then-defending NFC Champion 49ers in San Francisco.
Last season the Cardinals took down the defending AFC South Champion Titans 38-13 in Nashville.
Sunday’s game is the all-time regular season meeting between the Cardinals and Chiefs in a series that dates back to 1970. The Chiefs are making just their third-ever regular season visit to State Farm Stadium and the first since 2014. In that contest, Arizona overcame a 14-6 halftime deficit to earn a 17-14 victory.
Going head-to-head for the first time are Arizona QB Kyler Murray and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, two of the NFL’s most electrifying players at the position. The duo joins Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson as the only QBs selected to each of the last two Pro Bowls. Both Murray and Mahomes led their team to the playoff s in 2021 as they combined for 9,432 total yards and 68 total TDs.
Following this week’s opener, the Cardinals travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in their first-ever visit to Allegiant Stadium. In that matchup, the Cardinals will face former LB Chandler Jones, the team’s career sack leader who played for Arizona from 2016-21. Kansas City returns home to Arrowhead Stadium to face the division-rival Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN WEEK 1
WITH A WIN THIS WEEK…
Arizona would improve to 12-4-1 in season openers at State Farm Stadium.
The Cardinals would improve to 3-0-1 in season openers under head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Arizona would improve to 3-1 in its last four home games against the Chiefs.
MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
QB Kyler Murray
With both a passing and rushing TD, Murray would join Babe Parilli (1961-63 w/ Boston Patriots) as the only players in NFL history with a passing and rushing TD in three consecutive season openers. ï With 4 TD passes, Murray would become the first player in franchise history to throw 4+ TD passes in a season opener multiple times (had 4 in 2021 opener at Tennessee).
DL J.J. Watt
With a sack, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes would become the 42nd different QB WaƩ has sacked in his career. It would also give Watt a sack in a season opener for the first time since 2015.
WR Marquise Brown
With 100+ receiving yards, Brown would have 100+ yards in three of the four Week 1 games he has played in his career.
RB James Conner
With 100+ rushing yards, Conner would become the first AZ RB with 100+ rushing yards in a season opener since Edgerrin James (100) in 2008.
LBs Cameron Thomas or Myaji Sanders
The last Cardinals rookie to have a sack in a season opener was Jamir Miller (1.0) vs. the Rams on 9/4/94.
KYLER MURRAY – AT A GLANCE
Selected #1 overall by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. Signed the largest contract in franchise history when he agreed to an extension in
July of 2022 that will keep him under contract through the end of the 2028 season.
For the second straight season, earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021. 1st QB in franchise history named to Pro Bowl twice within his first three NFL seasons and joined Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson as only NFL QBs named to each of last two Super Bowls.
2019 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In his career (46 games), has completed 1,057-of-1,581 pass attempts (66.9%) for 11,480 yards and 70 TDs while rushing for 1,786 yards and 20 TDs on 314 carries (5.7 avg.).
NFL HISTORY
Only player in NFL history with 70+ passing TDs and 20+ rushing TDs in his first three seasons.
First player in NFL history with 3,500+ passing yards and 400+ rushing in each of his first three seasons.
His 66.86 completion percentage is the best in NFL history in a player’s first three seasons (min. 1,000 attempts).
Fourth-youngest player in NFL history (24 years, 120 days) to reach 10,000 career passing yards.
Second player in NFL history (Cam Newton) with 11,000+ passing yards and 1,500+ rushing yards in first three seasons.
His five games with 3+ pass TDs and 1+ rush TDs are the most in NFL history in a player’s first three seasons.
Joins Peyton Manning (2) and Aaron Rodgers (2) as the only players in NFL history with multiple games of 400+ passing yards, 3+ passing TDs and 1+ rushing TD.
Only player in NFL history with 7,500+ passing yards, 45+ TD passes and 15+ TD runs in his first two NFL seasons.
Only player in NFL history with 6,000+ passing yards and 1,100+ rushing yards in his first 25 career games.
In 2020, set an NFL record for the most games (9) with a passing and rushing TD in a single season. Has 13 such performances in 46 career games, surpassing Jim Hart for the team record (11 in 199 games).
Only player in NFL history with both a passing and rushing TD in five consecutive games (Games 5-9) in 2020.
In Week 7 of the 2020 season vs. Seattle, became the first player in NFL history to throw for 350+ yards and 3+ TDs while also rushing for 50+
yards and a TD in a single game.
Just the 6th different QB in NFL history with 3,500+ passing yards and 500+ rushing yards in a season (2019) – and just the second rookie (Cam Newton, 2011).
Between Weeks 4-10 of the 2019 season, set an NFL rookie record with 211 consecutive pass attempts without an INT.
CARDINALS HISTORY
Only player in franchise history to have 3,500+ passing yards in three consecutive seasons.
Only player in franchise history with 11,000+ passing yards and 1,500+ rushing yards in their career.
Already owns the franchise record for rushing TDs by a QB (20) and career games with both a passing and rushing TD (13).
Tied Kurt Warner (5 in 2009) for the most games with a passer rating of 120.0+ in a single season in 2021.
Established a single-season franchise record with a 67.2 completion percentage (375-of-558) in 2020, which he topped in 2021 with a 69.2 completion percentage (333-of-481).
Set a single-season franchise record for rushing TDs (11) and rushing yards (819) by a QB in 2020.
Has been named NFC “Offensive Player of the Week” five times, tying Kurt Warner for the most in franchise history. In 2020 became the first
player in team history to earn the honor three times in a single season.
First Cardinals rookie QB to start a season opener since Lamar McHan in 1954. Selected #1 overall by the Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft, the fifth player ever taken by Arizona #1 overall and first since 1958.
