Arizona Cardinals schedule - 2014: Game-by-game look

The Cardinals will spend much of the first half of this season looking at their NFC West rivals from afar.

They play only one division foe, the 49ers, in the first half of the season, but will make up for it around the holidays.

Four of the final six games, including the last three, are within the division. The most challenging part of the schedule might be in early December. After a home game against the Chiefs on Dec. 7, the Cardinals play four days later, on a Thursday night in St. Louis.

As with most schedules, there is good and bad to the Cardinals'.

There are only a couple of potential cold-weather games, at Seattle on Nov. 23 and at the 49ers on Dec.. 28, the season finale.

The travel is manageable. The Cardinals play consecutive games on the road just once, at Seattle and then Atlanta on Nov. 30, although that's a difficult two-game stretch.

The Cardinals' off week comes after only three games, far earlier than most coaches prefer. After that, they played 13 consecutive weeks, not counting playoff games.

Here's a game-by-game look at the Cardinals' 2014 schedule:

WEEK 1: Sept. 8, San Diego Chargers, 7:20 p.m., ESPN

Comment: On ESPN's Monday Night Football. The angle for this game would have been juicy had former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt remained as the Chargers' offensive coordinator. Instead, he became head coach of the Titans. Mike McCoy was among the Cardinals top choices for their head coaching job in 2013. He chose the Chargers instead.

WEEK 2: Sept. 14, At New York Giants, 10 a.m., Channel 10.

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.

Comment: The Cardinals tour of the NFC East continues. They have to hope they see the 2013 version of quarterback Eli Manning, who had 27 passes intercepted in 2013, a career high.

WEEK 3: Sept. 21, San Francisco 49ers, 1:05 p.m., Channel 10.

Comment: The Cardinals play the 49ers much better in Glendale than they do in California. Last year's game at UofP appeared headed to overtime, but the 49ers used a long kick return and two quick passes to set up Phil Dawson's 40-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

WEEK 4: Off week.

WEEK 5: Oct. 5, at Denver Broncos, 1:05 p.m., Channel 10.

Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver.

Comment: It's not a stretch to think the Cardinals might have played in another Super Bowl had quarterback Peyton Manning chosen them instead of the Broncos during free agency in 2012. Given Manning's age, 38, the Broncos know they need to win now. That's why they spent $60 million in guarantees for three defensive players: linebacker DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Aqib Talib and safety T.J. Ward.

WEEK 6: Oct. 12,Washington Redskins, 1:25 p.m., Channel 10.

Comment:Washington has a new coach, Jay Gruden, who hopes to get quarterback Robert Griffin III back on track. Griffin is supposedly all the way back from a knee injury, so Gruden's chances are good.

WEEK 7: Oct. 19, atOakland Raiders, 1:05 p.m., Channel 10.

Location: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.

Comment:Quarterback Carson Palmer faces one of his old teams, the Raiders. Palmer was in Oakland for just two seasons, but the Raiders have been so bad for so long that we'll all be desperate for a storyline. Oh, and the Cardinals also got their left tackle, Jared Veldheer, from the Raiders, who decided not to make him their franchise player.

WEEK 8: Oct. 26,Philadelphia Eagles, 1:05 p.m., Channel 10.

Comment:Last year, Kelly made an impressive transition from coaching in college to the NFL and worked wonders with quarterback Nick Foles. The Cardinals lost to the Eagles, 24-21, in Philadelphia last year, aided by a couple of questionable calls by the officials late.

WEEK 9: Nov. 2, atDallas Cowboys, 11 a.m., Channel 10.

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.

Comment: It's Arizona's first appearance in Jerry's Dome. The Cardinals have won three straight over the Cowboys, and two of those games went into overtime. Drama is rarely in short supply when these two old NFC East rivals get together.

WEEK 10: Nov. 9,St. Louis Rams, 2:25 p.m., Channel 10.

Comment: The Cardinals had lost eight consecutive division games before beating the Rams last December. Both teams are trying to catch Seattle and San Francisco. The Cardinals haven't won the division since 2009. The Rams last won it in 2003.

WEEK 11: Nov. 16 Detroit Lions, 2:25 p.m., Channel 10.

Comment: The Cardinals have won five consecutive games over the Lions, including last year, 25-21. The Lions have a new coach, Jim Caldwell, and a formidable defensive line. Watching cornerbacks Antonio Cromartie and Patrick Peterson try to stop Calvin Johnson will be intriguing. Johnson caught 6 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona in 2013.

WEEK 12: Nov. 23, at Seattle Seahawks, 2:05 p.m., Channel 10.

Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle.

Comment: The Cardinals signature victory of 2013 came in Seattle in the penultimate game of the season. The Cardinals shut down Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch (71 yards), then enjoyed some of Marshawn's signature candy, Skittles, on the field after.

WEEK 13: Nov. 30, at Atlanta Falcons, 2:05 p.m., Channel 10.

Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta.

Comment:In his last two games against Arizona - 2012 and '13, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had one touchdown pass and nine interceptions. The Falcons managed to win the 2012 game, but the Cardinals clearly have Ryan's number.

WEEK 14: Dec 7, Kansas City Chiefs, 2:05 p.m., Channel 5.

Comment: Somehow Andy Reid went from being a 95 percent certainty to coach the Cardinals, per ESPN, to landing with the Chiefs. The Cardinals wanted to talk to Reid about their job after the 2012 season but never did. Instead, he went to Kansas City and turned the Chiefs around last year. Things worked out for the Cardinals, who hired Bruce Arians.

WEEK 15: Dec. 11, atSt. Louis Rams, 6:25 p.m., NFL Network.

Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis.

Comment: On Thursday night national TV this time around. The Cardinals blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose in their old home last year. Jared Cook (7 catches, 141 yards, 2 TDs) became the first of many tight ends to hurt the Cardinals in 2013.

WEEK 16: Dec. 21,Seattle Seahawks, 6:30 p.m., Channel 12.

Comment:On NBC's Sunday Night Football. Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer had six passes intercepted by the Seahawks last season, including two in a loss at University of Phoenix Stadium. That game was on a Thursday night, and the Cardinals were not as prepared as well as the Seahawks were on a short week.

WEEK 17: Dec. 28, at San Francisco 49ers, 2:25 p.m., Channel 10.

Location: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.

Comment: Maybe the 49ers' new digs, Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, will be kinder to the Cardinals than Candlestick Park was. The Cardinals lost their last five games there by an average of almost 18 points. The closest game was a 12-point loss in 2013.