Arizona Cardinals open season in Detroit, host Dallas Cowboys on Monday night

The Cardinals will open the 2017 season with consecutive road games for the first time in seven years, but four of their final six are at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The NFL released the season’s schedule on Thursday, and it will be a historic one for the Cardinals. On Oct. 22, they will play their first game ever in London, facing the Rams at Twickenham Stadium. The Cardinals will have the following week off, seven games into the 16-game season.

The schedule includes two primetime games, both at home. The home opener will be Monday night, Sept. 25, against the Cowboys, and the Cardinals will play their Thursday night game on Nov. 9 against the Seahawks. The Cardinals are scheduled to finish the regular season in Seattle on Dec. 31.

The schedule:

Sept. 10 at Lions, 10 a.m.

The Lions aren’t in the Cardinals’ division, but it feels like it. The teams played every year from 2012-15 and rarely have spent a season apart since 1998. Both should be playoff contenders, so the outcome will be important if tiebreakers become a factor. The Cardinals have beaten the Lions seven consecutive times, but only two of those wins came in Detroit.

Sept. 17 at Colts, 10 a.m.

The last time the Cardinals played in Indianapolis (2005), Josh McCown was the starting quarterback and Dennis Green was the head coach. This will be old home week of sorts for Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, who had two stints as an assistant with the Colts, the last one in 2012. He and Colts coach Chuck Pagano are close friends, so this will be an intriguing matchup because they know each other so well. It’s also the Cardinals’ first game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Sept. 25 vs. Cowboys, 5:30 p.m.

The Cowboys are making their first trip to Arizona since 2011. The Cardinals have a four-game winning streak against Dallas, including two overtime games. For decades, the Cowboys were the most popular NFL team in Arizona. That might still be the case, but the gap has narrowed considerably since the Cardinals moved to University of Phoenix Stadium 11 years ago. The Cowboys are led by quarterback Dak Prescott, drafted in the fourth round a year ago. The Cardinals would like to be that lucky in this year’s draft.

Oct. 1 vs. 49ers, 1:05 p.m.

The 49ers didn’t just decay over the past two years, they collapsed. They’ve won only seven games the past two seasons, including two a year ago. That led to a coaching change. Kyle Shanahan replaces Chip Kelly. He inherits a team that needed an infusion of talent, and that’s nearly impossible to accomplish in one year.

*Oct. 8 at Eagles, 10 a.m.

The Cardinals have beaten the Eagles four of the past five times they played, including 2015 in Philadelphia. The Eagles didn’t go crazy in free agency, but they did sign receiver Alshon Jeffery, formerly with the Bears. Maybe that will help quarterback Carson Wentz and a team that was in the middle of the pack offensively a year ago.

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*Oct. 15 vs. Buccaneers, 1:05 p.m.

The Bucs came to Glendale last season and played one of their worst games. The Cardinals played one of their best, and the result was a 40-7 victory for Arizona. Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston had four passes intercepted and lost a fumble. The Cardinals led 24-0 at halftime. The Bucs are young and talented, and receiver DeSean Jackson, signed in free agency, gives Winston additional help.

Oct. 22 vs. Rams in London, 10 a.m.

This game is at Twickenham Stadium, which is normally used for rugby. No matter, it’s likely better than the Rams’ temporary home, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It’s the Cardinals’ first game out of the country since playing the 49ers in Mexico City in 2005. It’s one of four games the NFL will play in London this season.

Oct. 29.: Off

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*Nov. 5 at 49ers, 2:05 p.m.

The Cardinals will say all the right things before this one, like how they respect the 49ers, how the 49ers always play hard, how they know everyone in the NFL is talented. And they likely will be telling the truth. They also know that playoff contenders shouldn’t lose to the 49ers no matter where the game is played.

Nov. 9 vs. Seahawks, 6:25 p.m.

Thursday Night Football doesn’t get any better than this, especially if you like defense and hate kickers. The Cardinals haven’t beaten the Seahawks in Glendale since 2012, and the teams tied at 6 there a year ago. Both teams’ kickers failed miserably in that game, which contributed to the teams’ deciding those men should work elsewhere in 2017. These two will be favorites in the NFC West again, so it should be a game that sends an abnormal amount of players to the cold tub the day after.

*Nov. 19 at Texans, 11 a.m.

The Cardinals visit the Texans in the regular season for the first time since 2005, but they played in Houston in the preseason a year ago. The Texans are again searching for a quarterback after moving on from Brock Osweiler, while the Cardinals would like to find Carson Palmer’s eventual replacement. Houston defensive lineman J.J. Watt is expected to return after back surgery, which means the Cardinals better have solved their issues at right guard.

*Nov. 26 vs. Jaguars, 2:25 p.m.

The first of three consecutive home games for the Cardinals. The Jaguars will make their first visit to University of Phoenix Stadium, but they have two in-house guides who can show them around. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell signed with the Jaguars after spending his first nine NFL seasons with the Cardinals. Guard Earl Watford, a Cardinals offensive lineman the past four years, is competing for a starting job. The Jaguars entered free agency with around $70 million in cap space, so they spent a boatload on help.

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*Dec. 3 vs. Rams, 2:25 p.m.

Under former coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams enjoyed beating the Cardinals and coach Bruce Arians in Arizona, which they did the past two years. Fisher didn’t beat anyone else often enough, however, and has been replaced by Sean McVay, who is only 31. The Rams’ defense has been playoff worthy for years, but under Fisher the offense was wretched. It’s going to take some time to fix that.

*Dec. 10 vs. Titans, 2:05 p.m.

The Titans have a talented, young roster and an offensive line that’s developing into one of the NFL’s best. Coaching that group is Russ Grimm, the Cardinals’ former offensive line coach who was blamed by fans for everything except summer haboobs. We’ll see if the Cardinals’ defensive front, now minus Calais Campbell, can handle a power running game. It will be the Titans’ first game at University of Phoenix Stadium.

*Dec. 17 at Washington, 11 a.m.

It’s the Cardinals’ first visit to the NFL’s Dysfunction Junction since 2011. Washington made progress last year but General Manager Scot McCloughan departed this offseason after reportedly clashing with team President Bruce Allen. The Cardinals beat Washington 31-23 in Glendale last year, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Dec. 24 vs. Giants, 2:25 p.m.

The Giants love University of Phoenix Stadium. They are 2-0 against the Cardinals there (2011 was the last meeting). More importantly, it’s where they upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, the first Super Bowl played in the stadium. It’s an important game for the Cardinals, whose hopes to return to the postseason would be damaged by a home loss to an NFC opponent.

*Dec. 31 at Seahawks, 2:25 p.m.

The Cardinals will be praying that quarterback Carson Palmer will be healthy enough to start in this game. With Palmer starting, they are 3-0 in Seattle. Palmer hasn’t always played great there – he had four passes intercepted in the victory in 2013 – but his presence inspires confidence in others. That includes Arians. Now, wouldn’t it be something if the Cardinals could figure out a way to beat Seattle in Arizona?

* – subject to flex-scheduling procedures (game time could change)

Preseason schedule

Thursday, Aug. 3 – vs. Cowboys in Canton, Ohio, 5 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 12 – vs. Raiders, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 19 – vs. Bears, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 26 – at Falcons, 4 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 31 – at Broncos, 6 p.m.