The Consensus Week 8: Cardinals near the bottom after London shutout
Oct 25, 2017, 8:12 AM | Updated: 11:33 am
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) is sacked during the first half of an NFL football game against Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham Stadium in London, Sunday Oct. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
(AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
Yuck!
That’s the best way to describe an Arizona Cardinals performance so bad, it made people hold their noses on two different continents.
The Cardinals sleep-walked through a 60-minute affair in London against the Rams and came close to scoring points exactly once in a 33-0 loss. It was the second-worst loss of the Bruce Arians era; only their 34-point blowout loss to Carolina in the 2015 NFC Championship Game was worse.
And, they lost quarterback Carson Palmer to a broken arm for anywhere from four weeks to eight weeks to the rest of his career, depending on who you believe.
Predictably, the Cardinals fell in every single one of the 10 NFL Power Rankings we track, and are now keeping company with the Colts, Browns, Giants and 49ers — not the neighborhood any team wants to be in.
Each week in The Consensus, we’ll give you a look at where national outlets (and we here at ArizonaSports.com) are placing the Cardinals in their league pecking order.
Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Eagles No. 1, Patriots creep up
Cardinals rank: #24 (▼6)
A sorry day in London town laid the Cardinals low and has the Valley down. — Craig Morgan
Week 8 NFL Power Rankings: How every division is stacking up
Cardinals rank: #28 (▼9)
Carson Palmer is out. David Johnson is out. (Someone please hide Larry Fitzgerald.) Arizona was showing signs of life, but with Drew Stanton now helming the offense and Arizona already several games behind, the Cardinals’ chances to win the division are down to a minuscule 0.4 percent.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles hit No. 1 spot
Cardinals rank: #26 (–)
The season, which looked promising when the Cardinals were a viable 3-3 after Adrian Peterson rumbled for over 100 yards last week, fell apart Sunday. Starting quarterback Carson Palmer will be out at least eight weeks with a broken arm. Meanwhile, the way the offensive line was manhandled, the Cardinals wouldn’t have been able to run even if they’d had Earl Campbell in the backfield. Now it’s up to Drew Stanton, who is 6-3 as a starter filling in for Palmer. Sorry, but those Cardinal teams Stanton relief-pitched for were much stronger than this 2017 unit. The group still misses David Johnson.
NFL Power Rankings Poll, Week 8: Patriots Back on Top in a Good Week for Iconic QBs
Cardinals rank: #27 (▼5)
And as for the Arizona Cardinals (22nd to 27th), you would think the Carson Palmer injury dashes their playoff hopes. But on the bright side . . . well, it’s a lovely area of the country and the Arizona Fall League baseball season is really kicking into gear right now (don’t sleep on Ryan Mountcastle!).
NFL Power Rankings: Eagles No. 1, but here come Patriots, Steelers, Seahawks
Cardinals rank: #25 (▼4)
With Carson Palmer out for possibly the rest of the season with a broken arm, they are done. The question now is whether Palmer could be done for good.
NFL Power Rankings: Where Does Every Team Stand Heading into Week 8?
Cardinals rank: #28 (▼4)
The Arizona Cardinals are all over the place, and I don’t know what else to say about them. I thought they’d have more success running the ball against a questionable Los Angeles Rams defense, but it wasn’t to be.
Carson Palmer made more bad decisions; so did Drew Stanton. There were 10 penalties. Phil Dawson missed a field goal. There’s nothing consistent with this Cardinals team—and now Palmer is out for at least two months with a broken arm.
There’s no getting around the fact this isn’t a good football team. Yes, Arizona is 3-4, but the Cardinals have beaten the Colts, the 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And when the Cardinals lose, they lose big. With Palmer now out, it’s impossible to see this team staying relevant.
NFL Power Rankings: Blame John Elway for Broncos’ offensive woes, too
Cardinals rank: #28 (▼3)
Let’s assume this season isn’t going anywhere without Carson Palmer. Will he be back next season? If not, what will the Cardinals do? All the years of putting off investing in Palmer’s replacement are catching up to them now.
USA Today Power Rankings – Week 8
Cardinals rank: #27 (▼7)
Let’s hope Carson Palmer returns this year – if not to save Arizona’s season, then to at least potentially finish his career between lines.
Cardinals rank: #29 (▼7)
When Drew Stanton‘s career highlight is a celebration on the sideline, it hasn’t been a very memorable career.
NFL Week 8 Power Rankings: Eagles slide into first with ease
NFL
Cardinals rank: #25 (▼4)
Losing a starting ace like Carson Palmer puts a bigger damper on a season that already was lost when clean-up man David Johnson went down.
