The Consensus Week 6: Cardinals inch up after win over 49ers
Oct 10, 2018, 7:22 AM
Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks smiles at a news conference after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. The Cardinals won 28-18. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks has said for weeks that he just wanted his team to find a way to win one game and then everything would be alright.
Well, the Cardinals found a way — forcing five San Francisco turnovers and scoring a 28-18 win last Sunday in Santa Clara — so, they’ve got their first win. Whether or not everything will be OK remains to be seen.
Regardless, the Cardinals moved out of the exclusive no-wins club (they were the last member) heading into Sunday’s tilt in Minnesota against the Vikings. Some people actually paid enough attention to move the Birdgang out of the 32nd slot in their NFL power rankings this week, but not everyone.
Here’s where the Cardinals stand in rankings from around the country heading into Week 6.
Low Ranking: #32 – ESPN, SI.com, Bleacher Report, SB Nation
Average Ranking: 31.0
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Cardinals out of the cellar | A one-play flash on offense is actually sadly encouraging. | ||
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NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: Stacking up schedules for all 32 teams | The Cardinals’ toughest remaining game is Week 12 at the Chargers, where they have a 14 percent to win, according to FPI. That begins a six-game stretch for Arizona to end the season where they are the underdog in each game. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Saints enter top three, Eagles dip | The last of the winless rectified the root of their problem this past Sunday, closing out the contest in the deciding minutes. The Cards had failed to do so against the Bears in Week 3, making a late switch at quarterback, then providing the sub no help on the game’s final stanza. In Week 4, Arizona couldn’t halt the Seahawks’ running game late, narrowly falling in Josh Rosen’s first start. But Sunday was different, with Chandler Jones putting his big paw up to thwart the 49ers’ two-point attempt that would have tied the game at 14 apiece in the fourth quarter. On the next Niners drive, Arizona linebacker Josh Bynes picked up C.J. Beathard’s fumble (stripped on a safety blitz) and took it to the house to essentially seal the deal. Well done. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings Poll: Rams Stay No. 1, Texans Make Biggest Jump | Despite our panel voting unanimously to put the Cardinals in 32nd last week, they were still the consensus pick to win at San Francisco in the MMQB’s staff picks from a group of largely the same people. Then we put them in last again? I don’t know, guys. | ||
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NFL power rankings: Chargers replace Jaguars in top five | Still hard to believe a team with David Johnson would rank last in total yards and rushing yards per game at this stage. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Maybe the Green Bay Packers aren’t going to be great this season | The 49ers had 33 first downs and the Cardinals had 10. The 49ers more than doubled up the Cardinals in yards, 447-220. The only thing the Cardinals won was the final score, but after an 0-4 start, they weren’t looking for style points on their first win. | ||
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NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: Rams and Chiefs look like contenders, but are they really that good? | Josh Rosen got his first victory last week, which is something they can build on going forward. | ||
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Week Six power rankings | The 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns can pop the cork. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 6 | Rookie quarterback Josh Rosen completed all of 40 percent of his passes, although he did throw a touchdown pass. David Johnson’s depressing season continued, although he did find the end zone twice.That cheer you heard was Johnson’s fantasy owners.In honesty, this game says more about how bad the 49ers are than it does how good the Cardinals are. Mark that down—it’s the last time you’ll see “good” and “Cardinals” in the same sentence anytime soon. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings Week 6, 2018: Top teams dominating while pretenders fall off | No comment. |
