The Consensus Week 4: There’s only one way for the Cardinals to go
Sep 26, 2018, 6:00 AM | Updated: 3:01 pm
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen (3) talks with quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich, right, during the second half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
If you have an interest in the Arizona Cardinals, you were probably thinking positive thoughts for part of Sunday’s game against the Bears.
After scoring 14 relatively easy first-quarter points, it looked like Steve Wilks’ team would breeze to its first victory of 2018.
Not so fast, my friend.
Sam Bradford committed three turnovers in the second half and some curious personnel decisions led to a 16-14 loss to the Bears, sending Arizona to an 0-3 record and even more doubt than it faced during the season’s first two weeks.
The Cards’ struggles are reflected in this week’s look at The Consensus — a battery of 10 NFL Power Rankings from around the country.
Average Ranking: 31.9
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Rams the next No. 1 | #32 | — | The Sam Bradford experiment lasted less than three games. Josh Rosen, you’re next! |
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NFL Week 4 Power Rankings: Fatal flaws for all 32 teams | #32 | ⬇1 | The Cardinals can’t move the ball: They have 571 yards of offense this season, the fewest by any team through three games since the 2006 Raiders (531). |
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NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Rams, Chiefs rise above chaos | #32 | ⬇1 | The Josh Rosen era began in earnest on Sunday in Arizona. The rotten play-calling continued in earnest. Did you watch the game? Probably not. Story time, kids: The Cards handed Rosen the keys, down 16-14 to the Bears late in the fourth quarter. On third-and-2, and within striking distance of field-goal range, Arizona called a running play with David Johnson’s backup. Negative-3 yards later, it’s fourth-and-5. So, now we have a rookie QB in his first NFL action ever, game in the balance, versus a top-five defense. Despite having all three timeouts remaining, Steve Wilks and staff eschew stopping the clock to fully prep their 21-year-old signal-caller and just go with the play as called. Pick. Two hugely important plays, no timeout called, and their top offensive player doesn’t touch the ball. Alrighty. |
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NFL Power Rankings Poll: Chiefs Take No. 1, Patriots Down to 11 | #32 | ⬇1 | No comment |
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NFL power rankings: Undefeated Rams, Chiefs set pace among lots of interesting projections | #32 | — | David Johnson once talked about getting 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in same year. He’s on pace to top 300-300 plateau in ’18. |
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NFL Power Rankings: The annual ‘Is this the end of the Patriots?’ question | #32 | ⬇1 | Now that the Bills have won a game, there’s little doubt this is the worst team in football. It was painful watching them blow a 14-0 lead on Sunday. It’s amazing they started Sam Bradford three times before turning to Josh Rosen, too. |
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NFL Week 4 Power Rankings: Rams, Chiefs take top spots thanks to high-octane offenses | #31 | ⬇3 | It’s Josh Rosen’s team now, and it should be. They are another team playing for the future now. |
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Week Four power rankings | #32 | ⬇1 | Even Sam Bradford knows it was time for Sam Bradford to be benched. |
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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 4 | #32 | ⬇1 | After another horrid performance by Sam Bradford, the Cardinals inserted rookie Josh Rosen at quarterback in the second half. Rosen struggled in limited action, but presumably he’ll be the starter in Week 4. He cannot possibly do worse than Bradford has over the past two-plus games. |
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NFL Power Rankings 2018, Week 4: There’s no stopping the Rams | #32 | ⬇1 | The Cardinals will be pushing forward with Josh Rosen at quarterback after the rookie surprisingly entered the lineup in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Maybe he’ll be able to boost them up the rankings next week after Arizona faces the Seahawks in Week 4. |
