ORCHARD PARK - When the 2024 NFL schedule was released, the first line item for the Buffalo Bills showed the Arizona Cardinals, one of the worst teams in the league last season, coming to Highmark Stadium for the opener.

Piece of cake, right? The only other team on the Bills’ challenging first-place schedule that came even close to the Cardinals’ 4-13 futility last season was the New England Patriots who had a matching 4-13 record, though one of those victories came against Buffalo.

Absolutely this is a game the Bills should win, and quite frankly, it’s a game the Bills need to win because their next five will all be massive tests with three coming on the road.

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Week 1 hasn’t been kind to the Bills in two of the last three years as they lost twice - at home to Pittsburgh in 2021, at the Jets in 2023 - sandwiched around a fine 2022 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Rams.

The losses to the Steelers and Jets could be filed in the inexcusable category, and if the same fate befell them against the Cardinals Sunday, red alerts will be going off in western New York given what’s to follow.

Buffalo Bills keys to victory

Play like the better team that they are. Sounds simple, but that’s really what they need to do. The Bills are at home, they have the better roster, and the Cardinals are playing at 10 a.m. in terms of their west coast body clock. Don’t give Arizona any help in the form of turnovers or costly penalties and the Bills should be able to take care of business.

Arizona Cardinals key to victory

To pull off an upset, you need a few breaks to go your way because that can so often keep underdogs competitive, and at the end, anything can happen in a close game. Arizona had a strong running game in 2023 as it ranked fourth in yards and second in yards per attempt and now adds impressive third-round pick Trey Benson, so if it can run well and keep Josh Allen off the field, that’s a recipe that cook up an upset.

Matchup to watch

Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is already being looked upon as a future mega star. This is his NFL debut and the Bills’ cornerbacks, Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford, will be tested. More importantly, though, is the Bills’ new look at safety where Taylor Rapp will start alongside either Mike Edwards or Damar Hamlin, and they could be victimized by Harrison if QB Kyler Murray can hit him downfield for big chunks.

Top players for the Arizona Cardinals

∎ QB Kyler Murray: After he missed the first half of 2023 recovering from his knee surgery, Murray guided the Cardinals to three wins in his eight starts and he flashed some of the explosiveness that had marked his first 3 ½ years in the league. He completed 65.7% of his passes and still showed that he can make plays with his legs.

∎ RB James Conner: He rushed for 1,040 yards in the 13 games he played, and he is once again the lead back for a rushing attack that was impressive for a four-win team. And where he and Murray were dangerous is when they got outside the tackles, so the Bills need to set the edge effectively on run defense.

∎ WR Marvin Harrison Jr.: The rookie from Ohio State enters the NFL as one of the most exciting receiving prospects in recent memory, partly because he was highly productive in college, but also because his father is former Syracuse and Colts great Marvin Harrison.

∎ S Jalen Thompson: He played a team-high 938 snaps last season and was one of the Cardinals’ highest-graded defenders per Pro Football Focus as he made four interceptions and allowed just a 73.9 passer rating into his coverage area.

∎ DE Dennis Gardeck: In his sixth NFL season he led the Cardinals with 42 QB pressures and six sacks, but he was vulnerable against the run.

∎ LB Kyzir White: In his first season with the Cardinals he led the team with 90 tackles including nine for lost yardage and also had an interception and two sacks.

Who is favored to win Bills vs Cardinals?

The Bills have opened as a 6-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-270 (bet $270 to win $100) and Cardinals plus-220 (bet $100 to win $220). The over-under is 48.

What time does the Bills vs Cardinals game start?

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Arizona Cardinals game on TV, streaming

∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC channel 8 (Rochester area), WIVB channel 4 (Buffalo area), WTVH channel 5 (Syracuse area), WKTV channel 2 (Utica area), WENY channel 2 (Elmira area), WRGB channel 10 (Albany area), and WBNG channel 12 (Binghamton area).

∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV+.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Cardinals game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on SiriusXM channel 227 (Bills feed) and channel 381 (Cardinals feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do the Bills play this week? Game vs Cardinals kicks off season