There isn’t much love for the Arizona Cardinals heading into the 2026 NFL season. Certainly, Vegas thinks it’s a rebuild if you just look at their projected win-total of just 4.5 games.
ESPN betting analyst Pamela Maldonado took a look at that win-total and called the under on it one of the best bets in the NFL this season. That’s another blow in the expectations for the Cardinals‘ season before it even begins.
“Drafting Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 signals a full reset,” Maldonado wrote. “But a rookie running back doesn’t fix a roster with major flaws that finished 3-14 and ranked near the bottom in rushing, offensive consistency and defensive metrics. Love can help an offense in desperate need of explosiveness, but it’s still a rebuilding team.”
That win-total wasn’t the only bad news that the Cardinals got when it comes to Vegas recently. Shortly after the NFL schedule was released, it was announced that Arizona is the underdog in every individual game this season. That doesn’t mean they’re projected to go winless, but it does show the uphill battle they’re facing.
Maldonado would go on to add another bet on the Cardinals. That’s that they’ll go under 45.5 points scored in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Arizona’s offseason points toward a more conservative game plan, with uncertainty surrounding quarterback Jacoby Brissett‘s contract plus the expected heavy use of Love. The matchup itself favors low scoring. The Chargers were in the top 10 against the run and allowed the second-fewest red zone touchdowns last season. Quarterback questions and a run game hitting a brick wall mean field goals at best keep this under the total,” Maldonado.
The Arizona Cardinals Were Accused of Tanking This Offseason
GettyArizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort.
While Vegas has low expectations for the Arizona Cardinals, so does the rest of the league. Even some anonymous executives accused the Cardinals of tanking earlier in the offseason.
“They’re tanking, bro,” a general manager told Jason La Canfora. “They aren’t even hiding it.”
An agent would agree with the GM. He pointed to the 2027 draft, which is loaded with talent at quarterback. There, the Cardinals may be hoping for the highest possible pick.
“It’s all about 2027 for Arizona,” an agent said. “It’s between them and the Jets (for the top pick). They want LaFleur to have his pick of anyone he wants.”
Cardinals Linebacker Jack Gibbens Believes in a Turnaround
GettyJack Gibbens with the New England Patriots in 2025
A season ago, Jack Gibbens was on the New England Patriots. There, he was able to be a part of a team that went from having a Top 5 draft pick to playing in the Super Bowl. Now, he’s confident that the Arizona Cardinals can do that too.
“Anyone can win any Sunday. Everyone’s good and anyone can make it happen,” Gibbens recently said. “Just that belief, creating an identity, playing to that identity and believing in the guys next to you. I think that there’s no reason we can’t do that here.”
Gibbens joined the Cardinals this offseason on a two-year contract. Now, he sees some similarities between the Patriots and the team being put together in Arizona.
“It was a pretty special run we went on last year, special team … the closeness of that team, guys really cared about each other. That’s something that kind of gave us an edge,” Gibbens said. I kind of already feel that here. I noticed all the guys here have no egos, everyone’s kind of all in on getting this thing going and winning a bunch of games next year… The margins in this league are so small, so it comes down to the minute details and execution. Having that camaraderie and playing for each other, truly believing that we’re going to get this done.”
Maybe there are low expectations for the Cardinals around the league. However, the Cardinals can’t afford to also have low expectations internally. In the case of Gibbens, at least, there is confidence there.
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