If there was any question about how the Cardinals are viewed as a national product, it was answered with Thursday’s release of the 2016 NFL schedule.
The Cardinals will open the season at home on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” against the New England Patriots on Sept. 11, the first time the Patriots will have played against the Cards in Arizona since the franchise moved into University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Patriots, of course, have already played at University of Phoenix Stadium twice, in Super Bowls. It's a high-profile game on the league's opening weekend.
More proof of the Cardinals' growing reputation is the fact the Patriots' game is the first of four nationally televised regular-season games for the Cards in 2016.