The Consensus Week 3: Cardinals fall after Los Angeles debacle

Yikes.

The Arizona Cardinals find themselves in unfamiliar territory in this week’s power rankings from around the internet, and that place is at the bottom.

After turning off pundits with their season-opening loss to Washington in Week 1, the Cardinals followed it up by stinking up the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in a 34-0 loss to the Rams last Sunday.

It’s the second time in the last three meetings that the Rams have handed a goose egg to their divisional rivals, and it was every bit as ugly as the score would indicate. The Cardinals ran exactly one play on the L.A. side of the 50-yard line, and that came on the last snap of the contest.

Predictably, the Cardinals creeped closer to the bottom of various rankings, and would nearly be a consensus cellar dweller if not for the existence of the Buffalo Bills.

High Ranking: #28 – CBS Sports

Low Ranking: #32 – ArizonaSports.com, USA Today

Average Ranking: 30.9

Outlet	Rankings	Cardinals’ Rank	Movement	Comment
	Arizona Sports NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: Cardinals hit bottom	#32	⬇2	Bad and boring.
	NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: Rams are new No. 1 … and chaos below	#31	—	The Cardinals are 0-2 and have scored six points. The good news is that could speed up Josh Rosen’s timeline. Rosen is the Cardinals’ highest-drafted QB since Matt Leinart in 2006 (both 10th overall).
	NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Rams, Jaguars take top two spots	#31	—	If I could find any excuse — any excuse — to move the Bills up, the Cardinals would be the caboose on this list. Call them 32B. Sunday’s debacle in Los Angeles was a symphony of bad offensive football, recalling the halcyon days of the Max Hall/Beanie Wells-led offense. Sam Bradford attempted 27 passes for 90 yards. Think about that. Do you realize how hard that is to do, statistically? Neil Lomax could do better right now, and he turns 60 in February.
	NFL Power Rankings Poll: Jaguars Take Over No. 1, Bengals Make Biggest Jump	#31	—	No comment
	NFL power rankings: Major changes at top as Eagles, Patriots falter	#32	⬇4	Shocking level of underachievement given talent spread throughout this roster. What buttons does rookie coach Steve Wilks push now?
	NFL Power Rankings: The Rams went all-in this offseason, and it’s paying off	#31	⬇1	It’s early — really, really early — but I’m starting to wonder about Steve Wilks. The Cardinals weren’t close to this bad last season, and that was without David Johnson. They were 3-4 in Carson Palmer’s starts, so you can’t blame his retirement. This team is entirely lost, and Wilks said he never considered benching Sam Bradford for rookie Josh Rosen in a 34-0 loss on Sunday. Wow. Let’s say it’s way too soon to judge Wilks, but there are already warning signs.
	NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: Jaguars claim top spot; Buccaneers, Dolphins climbing	#28	⬇1	How much longer can they stay with Sam Bradford at quarterback? He just can’t drive the ball like Josh Rosen can.
	Week Three power rankings	#31	⬇1	Sam Bradford is averaging 4.0 yards per pass this season, which means that maybe they should just run the ball on every play.
	NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 3	#31	—	The Arizona Cardinals are a dumpster fire. After getting absolutely waxed by the Rams in Week 2, the winless Cardinals have now been outscored 58-6 in two games. Over those two games, the Cardinals have 350 yards of offense—total. By comparison, Arizona allowed 432 to the Rams on Sunday.
	NFL Power Rankings 2018, Week 3: The Jaguars are for real	#31	—	In Los Angeles, the Rams easily beat the Cardinals with a 34-0 shutout that saw Jared Goff throw for 354 yards while Sam Bradford threw for just 90. That’s not a mistake. The Cardinals produced a total of 138 yards on offense in the entire game.

Follow @Vincemarotta