The Arizona Cardinals’ season opener had some good and some bad, with the end result being a loss to the St. Louis Rams.

At 0-1, the team is in sole possession of last place in the NFC West, but that does not mean the national media is down on Bruce Arians’ club.

In fact, the Cards have risen in some of the newest power rankings. See for yourself.

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Yahoo! Sports – NFL Power Rankings: How much weight should we give to Week 1?

#30

(last week #30)

Another team that looked better than expected, but still lost, and who are you going to move them ahead of?

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CBS Sports – Broncos, 49ers look super — but it’s only one week (Prisco)

#25

(last week #20)

The good news that came from that loss to the Rams was that Carson Palmer looked impressive. Their passing game will be tough.

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ESPN – 2013 NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

#25

(last week #26)

Larry Fitzgerald caught a pair of TD passes on end-zone throws in his debut with Carson Palmer. Cardinals QBs were 0-for-9 targeting Fitzgerald in the end zone last year.

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Brian Billick – Fox Sports Net – NFL Power Rankings Week 1

#25

(last week #29)

It was fun to watch Larry Fitzgerald get to play with a competent quarterback again but that isn’t always going to translate into wins.

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NFL.com – Week 2: Eagles, Saints soar; Redskins sink

#26

(last week #25)

Disappointing to see the strength of this football team — the defense — fail to hold the line late in St. Louis on Sunday. Fans have to be encouraged, however, by the play of quarterback Carson Palmer, who might not have been perfect but averaged 8 yards per attempt behind a shaky offensive line, finding Larry Fitzgerald for two scores. I still think Bruce Arians was the right hire for this football team.

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SBNation – NFL power rankings, Week 2: 49ers still on top, Patriots climbing

#26

(last week #27)

The improvement Carson Palmer brings to this team is going to be short-lived as long as Levi Brown is starting on the quarterback’s left side.

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Sports Illustrated – NFL Power Rankings Week 1

#28

(last week #25)

Go ahead and book it: The Cardinals will pull off a couple of upsets this season — possibly as early as Week 2 against Detroit. (The Cardinals smoked the Lions last season, 38-10.) But there are going to be a lot of games like the 27-24 loss to St. Louis, where Arizona competes hard and falls short.

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