The Arizona Cardinals schedule is out and we know when they play each of their 2020 opponents. Four of these opponents have new head coaches, although two of these new head coaches are familiar faces to the Cardinals.
Week 2 vs. Redskins: Ron Rivera
Rivera replaced Jay Gruden. Rivera is a familiar face for the Cardinals, as he coached the Carolina Panthers from 2011-2019. The Cardinals have faced him many times in the regular season and playoffs.
Week 4 at Panthers: Matt Rhule
Rhule is almost this year’s Kliff Kingsbury. Kinsgbury was hired in 2019 by the Cardinals with zero coaching experience in the NFL. Rhule spent one season as an NFL coach. He was an assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants in 2012. He and Kingsbury are familiar with one another. He was head coach at Baylor from 2017-2019. Kingsbury’s last two seasons as head coach for Texas Tech, in the same conference as Baylor, were 2017-2018.
Week 7 at Cowboys: Mike McCarthy
McCarthy is the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys but he is no new face. In fact, the Cardinals were the team that essentially got McCarthy fired from his previous job with the Green Bay Packers in 2018.
Week 15 at Giants: Joe Judge
Judge is a head coach for the first time. He was receivers coach and special teams coordinator for the New England Patriots previously. By the time the Cardinals roll into town in December, he will more than have gotten his feet wet, though. He is the last of the new coaches the Cardinals will face.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
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