Hotels for New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals

An NFL road trip for the away side, with travelling fans mixing among home supporters in the concourses well before kickoff. Late-December fixtures often carry weight for both teams' playoff hopes, adding an edge to what's otherwise a routine divisional-season Sunday.

The Cardinals trace to a Chicago neighbourhood side founded in 1898, making them the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in the country. The nickname comes from a shipment of faded, used maroon jerseys that the team's early owner deemed 'cardinal red' rather than replace. The franchise won NFL championships in 1925 and 1947 while still in Chicago, moved to St.

Louis in 1960, then to the Phoenix area in 1988, settling into Glendale's stadium in 2006. Arizona reached its only Super Bowl in the 2008 season, falling narrowly to Pittsburgh. Larry Fitzgerald's long career as a Cardinal, spanning that Super Bowl run and well over a decade after, remains the modern era's defining thread.

Home to the Arizona Cardinals and a frequent Super Bowl host, State Farm Stadium in Glendale is a vast retractable-roof arena on the western edge of the Phoenix metro, also staging major concerts and soccer. The surrounding area is a purpose-built sports and entertainment district, with restaurants and Desert Diamond Arena close by.

The Valley Metro light rail does not reach Glendale, so car or rideshare is standard. Booking a room in nearby Glendale or central Phoenix gives a comfortable base for the event.