Cardinals in the Spotlight: NFL Names Captains, MLB Club Faces Giants
Two separate storylines put teams named "Cardinals" in the news this week — the NFL's Arizona Cardinals named their 2026 season captains, while MLB's St. Louis Cardinals entered a series against the San Francisco Giants as underdogs.
Arizona Cardinals name five captains
On Monday, September 7, Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur announced the team's five captains for the 2026 NFL season. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, in his first season as the team's starter, was named an offensive captain alongside center Hjalte Froholdt. Safety Budda Baker and linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. were chosen as defensive captains, while long snapper Casey Kreiter represents special teams. Players voted on Thursday, the last task before the long Labor Day weekend.
This marks Baker's fifth consecutive season as a captain, while Froholdt and Wilson are repeat picks after first earning the honor last year. LaFleur said the vote reflects the trust and respect players hold for one another: "When you do get voted a captain, that says your teammates and the locker room looks up to you," he said, adding that other players who weren't chosen would still have a voice within the team.
According to the Cardinals' official website, LaFleur also addressed rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, who is recovering from an ankle injury and was seen doing work on the field Monday. LaFleur expressed cautious optimism about Love's availability for Sunday's season opener against the Chargers in Los Angeles, but said further details would wait for the team's first official injury report, expected Wednesday.
MLB: Cardinals enter matchup against Giants as underdogs
Separately, in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals traveled to San Francisco on Monday, September 7, to open a series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. First pitch was scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET, broadcast on NBC. According to predictions from Covers.com, the Giants were favored to win (55% probability) over the Cardinals (46%). The case for San Francisco rested partly on starter Logan Webb's strong home numbers (3.39 ERA) compared with Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy's struggles in night games (4.86 ERA). Analysts also projected a lower-scoring game, citing Webb's ability to induce ground balls and limit hard contact. Giants slugger Rafael Devers, who had hit six home runs over his previous seven games, was highlighted as a likely candidate to homer given his strong career numbers against McGreevy.
