Four straight wins followed by three straight losses.

That’s the season trajectory of the Arizona Cardinals’ 2012 campaign after a frustrating loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday at Mall of America Field.

Some of the Cardinals’ familiar struggles reared their ugly heads again. They struggled to protect quarterback John Skelton, as Minnesota racked up seven sacks without blitzing once. And they struggled to score points – putting just 14 on the board in the defeat.

Ken Whisenhunt’s team is in the midst of a long week of preparation before hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

Here’s what various media outlets are saying about the Cardinals’ place in the NFL pecking order.

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Yahoo! Sports – NFL Power Rankings: This is what parity looks like

#23

(last week #19)

Not only are they the lowest-ranked team with a winning record ‒ they’re 11 spots behind the closest team with a winning record. I feel bad about this, but that’s what happens when your season consists of a four-game winning streak, then a three-game losing streak. The news gets worse, too ‒ their next three are against the 49ers, Packers and Falcons.

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CBS Sports – Move over, AFC, NFC pack sure looking large and in charge

#18

(last week #12)

They have a chance to right things this week with a huge home Monday night game against the 49ers. Lose that, and they are in big trouble.

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ESPN – 2012 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

#14

(last week #11)

The Cardinals have held opponents below nine completions in two of their last three games; oddly, they’ve lost both. (Sando)

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Brian Billick – Fox Sports Net – NFL Power Rankings Week 8

#19

(last week #16)

After a 4-0 start, the Cardinals have dropped three straight. And it is going to get worse if they can’t field an offensive line that can block anyone. The Vikings had 43 yards passing and threw two interceptions, and still beat this team.

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NFL.com – Week 8: Bears crack top three; Lions slide

#13

(last week #13)

The Arizona Cardinals stay at 13 by sheer happenstance, and the fact that, at 4-3, they’re in the thick of the wild-card race. All but one club from Nos. 10-20 in last week’s rankings lost or had a bye during Week 7, which meant that only Ken Whisenhunt’s former employers were able to leapfrog the Cards.

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2012 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

#16

(last week #12)

The Arizona Cardinals have fallen faster than any other team in the league this season. They started the year off winning their first four games only to lose their last three; someone toss this team a life raft quickly because the are drowning and the waters ahead look even rougher.

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Sporting News – NFL Power Rankings: Greener pastures for Aaron Rodgers, rising Packers

#15

(last week #13)

The Cardinals have seen Fitzgerald get more attention than ever before, so it’s a good thing Andre Roberts has emerged as a legitimate complementary receiver.

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