NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Arizona Cardinals dip after first loss of 2015
Oct 7, 2015, 7:59 AM | Updated: 4:31 pm
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Well, that was unexpected.
Not that the Arizona Cardinals lost to the St. Louis Rams — it was the fact that they looked so much different than they did in the first three weeks in doing so.
The Cardinals sputtered in the red zone, turned the ball over three times and allowed rookie Todd Gurley to run wild in the second half of the Rams’ 24-22 win at University of Phoenix Stadium last Sunday.
Not surprisingly, Arizona fell in power rankings from all over the internet.
Cardinals’ Average Power Ranking: 6.2 (down from 3.6 last week)
NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Bengals hit top three; Steelers fall
#6 (down 3 spots)
You think Carson Palmer would like to have that last throw back? Watching Rams-Cardinals live, I thought there was no way Arizona was losing the game. If you missed it, Palmer had rookie David Johnson wide open on a slant on fourth-and-2 with his team down by two points late in the fourth quarter — and overthrew him by a couple of yards. Of course, Johnson’s fumble on the opening kickoff set an ominous tone for the day.
For now, Arizona is 3-1 with a clear lead in the NFC West. The Cards have the Lions, Steelers, Ravens and Browns heading into their Week 9 bye. When they travel to Seattle in Week 10, Bruce Arians could be 6-2 and fighting for first place. Don’t want to look ahead, but we’re looking ahead.
2015 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5
#4 (down 2 spots)
Sunday’s loss to the Rams was Carson Palmer’s first since Week 17 of the 2013 season.
NFL Power Rankings Week 5: It may be Bengals’ year as they jump into top 3
#5 (down 2 spots)
Chalk up Sunday’s loss to St. Louis as a blip on the radar, at least for now—Arizona was minus-three in the turnover battle and settled for five field goals in a game it lost by two. On the other hand, if you’ve been itching to point out that the Cardinals’ three wins have come over teams with a combined three wins themselves, now would be the time.
2015 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5
#8 (down 4 spots)
In their first game against a team with a respectable pass rush, the Cardinals couldn’t hold up in pass protection, and this could become an issue — this vertical passing game is dependent on timing. Tyrann Mathieu is emerging as one of the NFL’s best defenders.
Bleacher Report — NFL Power Rankings: Where Does Every Team Rank Heading into Week 5?
#6 (down 1 spot)
After an electric start to the season, the Cardinals faltered against the rival Rams. More importantly, Arizona’s talented defense couldn’t slow rookie running back Todd Gurley in the second half. The defense held Gurley in check through two quarters of play with only two yards on four carries. But the 10th overall selection in this year’s NFL draft exploded for 144 yards on 15 carries in the third and fourth frames. The fact Gurley ran for nearly 10 yards per carry when the game was on the line is simply unacceptable for a defense as talented as the Cardinals’.
SB Nation — NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Packers, Bengals are rolling
#7 (down 5 spots)
Tell me if you’ve got the Rams figured out. St. Louis knocked off a red-hot Cardinals team in their place this week to make a big leap up the rankings, and looked like real contenders in doing so.
CBS Sports — Falcons soaring, look like playoff lock with easy slate
#7 (down 4 spots)
That was a major dud against the Rams. They just didn’t look right, especially on defense.
Yahoo Sports — Cowboys, Steelers need to survive
#6 (down 1 spot)
The Cardinals are a good team, but I hope the plane tickets Arizona fans were buying to the Super Bowl last week are refundable. The hype machine got a little bit out of control last week.
PFT’s Week Five power rankings
#6 (down 2 spots)
We’ll know a lot more about this team after back-to-back games at Detroit and Pittsburgh.
#7 (down 4 spots)
Now we learn about the Cards, who play four of next five on road with three of those dates set in the Eastern time zone.