The Consensus Week 17: Nothing changes for the Cardinals
Dec 26, 2018, 9:37 AM
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen grabs his elbow after taking a hit from Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
There are a couple of shreds of positivity for fans of the Arizona Cardinals.
One, this season is almost over.
Two, the Cardinals are one loss away from securing the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Surely, that second point doesn’t help anyone heading into a Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but it may invigorate the fan base during what figures to be an offseason wrought with change.
The Cardinals lost to the Rams, 31-9, in Week 16 in a game that featured really only two plays that resembled highlights. Chase Edmonds had a 20-yard run on a fake punt and Larry Fitzgerald threw his first career touchdown pass to David Johnson, who failed to secure the keepsake for his teammate and instead gave it to a fan. Kinda sums up the season, doesn’t it?
Low Ranking: #32 – Everyone
Average Ranking: 32.0
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Saints hold, Rams move up | One loss away from the number-one overall pick. | ||
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Week 17 NFL Power Rankings: Non-quarterback MVPs for all 32 teams | Non-QB MVP: There are the obvious choices: Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Peterson, Chandler Jones, even David Johnson. But the Cardinals’ non-QB MVP is punter Andy Lee. Without Lee, who knows where the Cardinals would be? (Hint: Probably not much worse than 3-12, but it’s possible.) Lee has been the Cards’ lone saving grace this season with his ability to flip the field and put the defense in a position the offense couldn’t: To work with a long field behind it. Lee ranks first in punts, punting yards and net punting yards. He has six touchbacks, 27 punts inside the 20, 11 punts inside the 10 and one inside the 5. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Bears, Ravens up; Chargers drop | Cardinals fans recommenced their season-long pain, watching Arizona get pummeled again at home by the Rams. The Cards have played terrible football in front of their friends in 2018, closing out their home schedule with a not-so-sturdy 1-7 record. Sunday’s loss marked the second straight outing at University of Phoenix Stadium in which they’ve failed to reach double digits in points. Wait. Who wants to end this blurb — and these Power Rankings — on that kind of note? Nobody. So watch Larry Fitz making his own Fitzmagic for a fun postscript. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings Poll: Saints No. 1, Ravens Surge Into Top 5 | No comment. | ||
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NFL power rankings: Top-seeded Saints still No. 1, Ravens close in on Top 5 | Would hate to see Larry Fitzgerald depart after this season. But how promising does near-term future in Arizona look for a 35-year-old receiver? | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Eric Weddle says nobody wants to face Ravens, and he’s right | Since winning at Lambeau Field, the Cardinals have gone 0-3 and were outscored 88-26. The game before the Packers win, they got blown out 45-10 by the Chargers. There’s good reason for the speculation that Mike McCarthy will be the next coach of the Cardinals. | ||
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NFL Week 17 Power Rankings: Seahawks in top 10 behind Russell Wilson, Browns neck-and-neck with Steelers | This team is bad right now and barely even competing. It looks like a coaching change is coming. | ||
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Week 17 power rankings | A quiet but lingering frugality could be holding the franchise back; it will be interesting to see how much they spend in the offseason on upgrading the coaching staff and front office. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Latest 2018 Standings and Pre-Finale Reaction | No comment. |
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