ARIZONA – – We are hours away from Arizona Cardinals football… let that sink in for a second.

It’s been a long offseason and fans are excited to see the progress of this team from year one to year two under Gannon. The Cardinals added several solid-to-great players through the draft and free agency and the roster looks to be more competitive this year… well, besides the defense.

Regardless, fans are only hoping this team is fun to watch this season and they have quite the challenge ahead of them as they travel to take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Despite it being a game that heavily favors the Bills, we still have a few questions we’d like to get answered even in week one of the new year.

Here are five burning questions we hope to see answered:

We all know how real the hype is for the fourth overall pick. The generational prospect has been compared to former All-Pro A.J. Green, making the expectations through the roof. However, he has that “generational” tag for a reason, and he should be able to show off why early in his career.

The question is how early.

The Bills secondary is… well, unproven I suppose. Technically, MHJ is also unproven, but this is a mismatch with the edge going to Harrison. Buffalo will need to double and bracket cover him all day to limit the big play ability… but will it be enough?

I’ve already said that Harrison is gonna go bonkers in this game. Here’s hoping he adjusts to, and dominates the NFL from day one.

Speaking of Cardinals wide receivers…

The second-year man from Stanford showed some serious upside as a rookie, posting 565 yards on 38 catches plus three touchdowns in 13 games. He also managed this with three different quarterbacks.

Wilson looked like the Cards’ best receiver at times last season, but he’ll be relegated to WR2 after MHJ. But this could be a very good thing for Arizona.

With Harrison commanding the attention of the defense, Wilson will get lots of one-on-one looks. With his size and playmaking ability, he could be huge this year. Think 2015 Michael Floyd.

How soon will Floyd establish himself as WR2? This Sunday is a GREAT opportunity against a rebuilding secondary with MHJ commanding the attention of it anyways.

The Bills recorded 54 sacks last season with five players posting five-or-more sacks individually. The team returns Ed Oliver, who is establishing himself as a top-10 defensive tackle who has gotten better each year in the league.

Although the leading sack artist, Leonard Floyd is gone, all the other key contributors are back and Buffalo loves to blitz.

With a mostly returning offensive line plus the addition of Jonah Williams at right tackle, are the Cardinals up to the task of slowing down this pass rush?

It;s a great test for a group that hopes to improve off last season last year, but talk about a difficult test out the gate.

How many sacks will the Cardinals grab in 2024? The team nailed 33 last season, which isn;t horrible, however the Cards have no true standout pass rusher and BJ Ojulari, who was projected to be the top guy, is out for the season. First round pick Darius Robinson is also out to start the year.

The group takes on the Bills, who host a more than quality group including three-time Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins. Along with Josh Allen at quarterback, who’s one of the hardest guys to sack in all of football, Arizona’s pass rush is outmatched to put it lightly.

The good news is Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis won’t be afraid to get creative and dial up unique blitz packages, but will they be enough? Heck, will they even work?

Arizona’s cornerbacks are basically brand new compared to last season. Veteran Sean Murphy-Bunting was signed this offseason to be the number one guy. He is quality. Across from him is Starling Thomas V with Garrett Williams set to play inside at nickel. Rookie Max Melton will likely see significant time this year, as well.

With starting safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson returning, the team at least has great guys on the back end.

The Bills are rolling out Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Mack Hollins as their starting wide receivers with none of them likely to break out now that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone. That leaves potential for the Cardinals to match up with that group and have a good game.

It won’t be easy with Allen tossing the ball around and making throws other QBs can’t, but sticky coverage from the corners will go a long ways in building the confidence of the fans and most importantly for the team.

The expectations are low for the secondary, but if they come out and have a good game it may give them the motivation they need to exceed expectations this seasonn.

Make sure to bookmark Cardinals On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

Preseason football hype videos have become the rage right now and the Arizona Cardinals have joined the movement, with their 2024 introduction video: “A storm is brewing.”

The video opens with the words: “Fate whispers to the warrior, you cannot withstand the storm. The warrior whispers back, I am the storm.”

It showcases several Cardinals players, including quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner, tight end Trey McBride, safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson, linebacker Kyzir White, offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr.,  and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson, along with coach Jonathan Gannon.

The team released the video earlier this week to much fanfare, and it gained even more eyeballs when it was posted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

NFL Week 1 picks: Ravens vs Chiefs | Packers vs Eagles | Steelers vs Falcons | Cardinals vs Bills | Titans vs Bears | Patriots vs Bengals | Texans vs Colts | Jaguars vs Dolphins | Panthers vs Saints | Vikings vs Giants | Raiders vs Chargers | Broncos vs Seahawks | Cowboys vs Browns | Commanders vs Buccaneers | Rams vs Lions | Jets vs 49ers | The Arizona Republic’s predictions

Watch the Arizona Cardinals’ ‘Storm is brewing’ preseason hype video

Arizona Cardinals depth chart: How roster stacks up for NFL Week 1 game vs Buffalo Bills

Reaction to Arizona Cardinals’ hype video for 2024 NFL season

The Cardinals’ hype video seemed to hype up a lot of people.

NFL Week 1 predictions: ESPN matchup predictor’s picks, win probabilities for this week

Will the storm start brewing for Arizona Cardinals vs Buffalo Bills on Sunday?

Before their 2024 season opener against LSU, the USC Trojans released an epic hype video, called the “Arrival of the Trojan.”

The Trojans then certainly arrived with a 27-20 win over LSU.

Will the storm start brewing Sunday with a Cardinals’ Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills?

We don’t have to wait long to find out. Arizona’s game in Buffalo is at 10 a.m. MST Sunday.

NFL Week 1 schedule: Television channels, how to watch, stream games

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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The Buffalo Bills don’t play Aaron Rodgers in his first − and only thus far − game with the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Or have a test against the defending Super Bowl champions to open the NFL season on Thursday Night Football.

The Bills opener isn’t a marquee matchup like in recent years. They host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 at Highmark Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Buffalo is coming off its fourth consecutive AFC East title. Arizona has suffered back-to-back 4-win seasons and last place finishes in the NFC West.

Here’s how key offensive players on the Bills and Cardinals fared in previous matchups.

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen player match stats vs Cardinals

In one game against the Cardinals, Josh Allen had 284 yards passing, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He rushed for 38 yards and 0 touchdowns and had 1 reception for 12 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Kyler Murray player match stats vs Bills

In one game against the Bills, Kyler Murray had 245 yards passing, 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception. He had 61 yards rushing and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Running backs

James Cook match player stats vs Cardinals

James Cook has never faced the Cardinals.

James Conner match player stats vs Bills

In two games games against the Bills, James Conner has averaged 30 yards rushing and 0 rushing touchdowns. He has averaged 4.5 receiving yards and 0.5 receiving touchdowns.

Wide receivers

Curtis Samuel match player stats vs Cardinals

In three games against the Cardinals, Curtis Samuel has averaged 4.3 receptions, 52.7 receiving yards and 0.3 touchdowns. He has averaged 1 yard rushing and 0 rushing touchdowns.

Khalil Shakir match player stats vs Cardinals

Khalil Shakir has never faced the Cardinals.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling match player stats vs Cardinals

In two games against the Cardinals, Marquez Valdes-Scantling has averaged 3 catches, 31.5 receiving yards and 0 touchdowns. He has averaged 13 rushing yards and 0 rushing touchdowns.

Michael Wilson match player stats vs Bills

Michael Wilson has never faced the Bills.

Greg Dortch match player stats vs Bills

Greg Dortch has never faced the Bills.

Zay Jones match player stats vs Bills

In two games against the Bills, Zay Jones has averaged 27.5 yards receiving and 0.5 receiving touchdowns.

Tight ends

Dalton Kincaid match player stats vs Cardinals

Dalton Kincaid has never faced the Cardinals.

Dawson Knox match player stats vs Cardinals

In one game against the Cardinals, Dawson Knox had 2 receptions for 16 receiving yards.

Trey McBride match player stats vs Bills

Trey McBride has never faced the Bills.

Bills vs Cardinals betting odds

• Betting line: Cardinals +6 (-110); Bills -6 (-110)
• Over-under: 48 (Over -112/Under -108)
• Money line: Cardinals +225 (bet $100 to win $225); Bills -278 (bet $275 to win $100)