Can Cardinals open season with road win against Bills?

Can Arizona get another win against Buffalo? Here are the Burn City Sports staff’s Week 1 predictions:

Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau/ X) – Suns and Cardinals Reporter

Bills win 35-31

With two prolific quarterbacks, I expect a very high-scoring game, especially with both defenses having a lot of new faces looking to get up to speed. However, I have to give the Bills the upper hand at home in the end. Josh Allen will be able to feed off this energy from his crowd, while the Cardinals’ unproven defensive line will face a major test early on against Allen’s mobility and the Bills’ dynamic rushing attack.

If Arizona wants to squeak by with a win, the biggest thing it will have to do is force turnovers and capitalize on them offensively, while limiting turnovers of its own. Just as the Bills have with Allen, the talent the Cardinals have collectively on offense against the Bills’ new defense should allow them to get rolling. Murray, Harrison and James Conner should all have big Week 1s for the Cardinals.

With that said, home-field advantage, Josh Allen and the Cardinals’ questionable defense are the three biggest reasons I don’t think Arizona gets the job finished, but I predict it to be a close game with a lot of points nonetheless.

Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB/ X) – Diamondbacks and Cardinals Reporter

Bills win 27-19

Western time zone teams traveling to the eastern time zone is always an issue that can never be overlooked. This is essentially a 10 A.M. game for these players. The Bills offense isn’t nearly as dangerous as it was 2 years ago, but they can still kill teams on the ground with their running game. The Cardinals will have to play nearly a perfect game on defense to have a chance to win.

The Cardinals ability to run the ball will be the most important thing for them. They aren’t built to win a shootout, that defense is a liability as currently constructed. So the offense has to carry the load and limit the number of possessions Josh Allen has. Additionally, they will have opportunities to take the ball away as Allen can be reckless at times with the ball. They’ll need multiple takeaways creating short fields and the offense cannot afford to leave points on the field. My prediction has the Cardinals playing a close game, but unable to finish the game strong in the 4th quarter.

Alec Cipollini (@AlecCipollini/ X) – Mercury and Arizona State Reporter

Bills win 27-20

I could be totally wrong with this as I personally have questions about the Bills’ wide receiver group going into this year. No matter what, however, Josh Allen is still one of the most elite quarterbacks in the league and it’s hard to bet against him. Keon Coleman has a lot of hype around him and Dalton Kincaid is a threat at tight end, we’ll have to see what happens though. The Cardinals could surprise and win, but Arizona is 2-6 in their last eight games against the Bills. The Cardinals did squeak out a 32-30 win in Glendale last time they played each other in 2020, but I just feel this is Buffalo’s game to lose. In Buffalo, where it is an electric atmosphere for a Week 1 matchup, I believe the Bills will feed off of that energy with the home-field advantage and come out a victory.

Jacob Hardin (@JacobHardin_/X)– Diamondbacks and Suns Reporter

Bills win 38-34

If you want an idea of how this matchup will go, look no further than December 31st of last year when the Cardinals took on the Eagles in a hostile environment in Philadelphia. Both defenses came in allowing over 25 points per game, but the Cardinals pulled off a 35-31 win. This time, however, Jonathan Gannon doesn’t have the same inside knowledge of his opponent, giving the Bills a clear edge. While Buffalo’s offense isn’t what it once was—especially with Stefon Diggs now in Houston—it would be surprising if the Cardinals’ defense managed to keep Josh Allen under 330 passing yards.

Let us know your Week 1 prediction.