The Arizona Cardinals' chances to win their season-opening game against the New England Patriots appeared to increase dramatically Monday morning.
We learned Monday that an appeals court has reinstated Tom Brady's "Deflategate" suspension, according to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters.
Playing as quarterback for the New England Patriots, Brady received a 4-game suspension for his part in allegedly deflating footballs below NFL regulations during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The suspension means Brady will miss the Patriots' first four games of 2016, including their Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals in Glendale on Sunday Night Football.
#Patriots first four games:
At Cardinals
Host Dolphins
Host Texans
Host Bills
Fifth game? At Browns.— Kari Van Horn (@KariVanHorn) April 25, 2016
The game will mark the first time the Patriots will head to Glendale to play the Cardinals. They've been to University of Phoenix Stadium twice before to compete in Super Bowls.
As of last week, oddsmakers had the Patriots and Cardinals as even money in Week 1. Expect the Cards to soon be favored in that matchup.
The game will be a big one for new Cardinals pass-rushing specialist Chandler Jones, whom the Patriots traded to the Cardinals last month in exchange for a second-round draft pick.
The No. 2 quarterback on the Patriots' unofficial depth chart is Jimmy Garoppolo, the Patriots' 2014 second-round pick who threw only 31 passes during his first two NFL seasons.
