The Arizona Cardinals mirror the Las Vegas Raiders in many ways ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Not only are both rebuilding teams with solid young offensive cores that aren't ready to compete in a division full of teams with Space Jam-like Monstars, but the quarterback situation is quite similar.
Las Vegas has a promising youngster in Fernando Mendoza, and the Cardinals may have a capable rookie in Carson Beck. The Raiders have an established veteran past his prime in Kirk Cousins, and the Cardinals have Jacoby Brissett. Then, there's the Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew of it all.
Oh, and both teams have first-time offensive-minded head coaches from the Shanahan and Kubiak school of coaching. The key difference is that, on paper, the Raiders have a better roster, and all of the aforementioned pieces in Arizona are somewhat knockoff versions of what Las Vegas has.
At least that's how things look through Silver and Black-colored glasses. But to gain a clearer picture, we spoke to Cardinals writer Michael Haney, formerly of Raising Zona, FanSided's dedicated Cardinals page. He gave us the lowdown on this late-season brawl between two teams from the desert.
If you've been following along in recent weeks with these 2026 Raiders previews, you'll know that this is the final installment. Part 14 of 14. Thank you all for reading and having the curiosity to learn about Las Vegas' future opponents so far ahead of time! (Links to all of them are at the bottom of the page)
Las Vegas Raiders face Arizona Cardinals team with many questions in Week 17
Q: The Raiders and Cardinals are going through a lot of the same stuff this offseason, as both teams have pretty much an entirely new coaching staff. How high is the confidence level in Arizona that Mike LaFleur and Co. can be the ones to turn it around?
A: Cardinals fans are relatively optimistic that LaFleur can lead this rebuild. His history of working with Sean McVay helps cover up some of the struggles he had with the Jets. But nobody expects the turnaround to happen quickly. The Cardinals’ roster isn't ready to compete quite yet, especially considering the current QB situation.
Q: It seems like Jacoby Brissett is locked into the starting job for the Cardinals, but is there any chance that Gardner Minshew could challenge him or replace him at some point in the early going?
A: Brissett will be the starter early on. If he's replaced, I would look out for Carson Beck over Minshew. Beck at least has some upside, while we know what Minshew is at this point in his career.
Q: Where does Carson Beck factor into things? Is it possible that he's under center by the time these two teams meet in Week 17?
A: If the season goes as expected, I see Beck starting games down the stretch. The Cardinals are expected to draft a QB in 2027, but they need to see what they have in Beck first.
Q: What was the biggest or most impactful offseason move that the Cardinals made?
A: People might point to Jeremiyah Love here, but I would say it's LaFleur. The NFC West has arguably the top three coaches in the NFL, and Arizona needs to keep up.
Q: Does Arizona have a glaring weak point that Las Vegas can expose in this late-season matchup?
A: Maxx Crosby could have a field day lining up opposite right tackle Elijah Wilkinson. The Cardinals were expected to draft a right tackle, but they chose to take Love instead.
Q: The Cardinals have a strong young core of offensive skill position players. Would you say that is their biggest strength, and it could make life difficult for the Raiders? Or does Arizona have an unheralded strength nobody is talking about?
A: The offensive skill players, if used correctly, will be difficult for any team to handle. The Raiders’ secondary might struggle to keep up.
Q: Would you rather face Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza? (This can be a one-word answer)
A: Mendoza. DC Nick Rallis runs a unique scheme, which could be tough for a rookie to handle.
Other Las Vegas Raiders 2026 season previews:
Week 1 - Miami Dolphins
Weeks 2&14 -Â Los Angeles Chargers
Week 3 - New Orleans Saints
Week 4 - Kansas City Chiefs
Week 5 - New England Patriots
Week 6 - Buffalo Bills
Week 7 - Los Angeles Rams
Week 8 - New York Jets
Week 9 - San Francisco 49ers
Week 10 - Seattle Seahawks
Week 11&15 - Denver Broncos
Week 12 - Cleveland Browns
Week 16 - Tennessee Titans
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