The Consensus: Week 6: Win over Bengals gives Cardinals a slight push

So that’s what winning feels like.

The Arizona Cardinals got their first taste of victory in the Kliff Kingsbury-Kyler Murray era by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 26-23 at Paul Brown Stadium last Sunday.

The win (admittedly against a bad team) didn’t do much to improve the Cardinals’ stock in the eyes of some football observers from around the country.

Here’s a quick rundown of what some of the leading national rankings are saying about the Cardinals and where they rank heading into a Week 6 home game against the Atlanta Falcons.

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High Ranking: 24 (Bleacher Report)

Low Ranking: 28 (Six Outlets)

Week 6 Average Ranking: 27.1 (Up from 28.3 in Week 5)

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Week 6 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus every team’s top fantasy surprise

This Week: 28 

Movement: —

Comment: Edmonds has been playing in the shadow of fellow running back David Johnson since he was drafted last year, but Edmonds’ big game on Sunday — 68 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 18 yards for 17.6 fantasy points — proved he can be an impact fantasy player, especially when the Cardinals commit to the run. I think he’ll maintain that level. With Edmonds being used more as the season goes on — his carries have increased from one to three to six to eight — he’ll likely be on the field along with Johnson, especially as a complement when Johnson is lined up as a receiver.

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NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: 49ers hit top five; Bears plummet

This Week: 28 

Movement: ▲1

Comment: Could the Cardinals’ final drive on Sunday act as a turning point in their season? Kliff Kingsbury had watched as a 23-9 lead turned into a 23-23 tie in the final quarter. Arizona needed a big moment from their No. 1 pick — and Kyler Murray delivered it. Murray led the Cards 62 yards on six plays capped by Zane Gonzalez’s chip-shot field goal as time expired. Murray gained most of the yardage on two plays: a 24-yard pass to David Johnson and 24-yard scramble that set up Arizona’s first win. Progress.

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NFL Power Rankings Poll: Patriots Retake the Top Spot, Packers and 49ers Surge

This Week: 28

Movement: ▲1

Comment: Kyler Murray got his first win as a pro, setting up the game-winning kick with a brilliant 24-yard scramble. Who needs height when you’ve got feet this sweet?

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NFL power rankings: New teams enter top 10 following losses by Cowboys, Chargers

This Week: 28

Movement: ▲1

Comment: Maybe redub offense “Ground Raid”? It apparently works much better when Arizona runs ball (season-high 266 yards in Sunday’s win).

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NFL Power Rankings: The 49ers definitely look like they’re for real in Browns blowout

This Week: 28

Movement: —

Comment: Three of the four winless teams are headed by coaches in their first year on the job. At least Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t have to worry anymore about when his first win will come. That has to be a horrendous feeling.

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NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: Saints rise behind Sean Payton and Teddy Bridgewater, 49ers up to No. 2, Chiefs fall

This Week: 27

Movement: ▲2

Comment: Kliff Kingsbury got his first victory as coach to go with a tie. At 1-3-1, they are showing improvement, which is the most important thing for a young team.

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PFT’s Week Six power rankings

This Week: 28

Movement: ▲2

Comment: A few more potential wins are lurking on the schedule, but not many.

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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 6

This Week: 24

Movement: ▲3

Comment: Four weeks into the 2019 NFL season, something has become painfully clear in the Valley of the Sun.

The good news for the Arizona Cardinals is that the team notched its first win of the Kyler Murray/Kliff Kingsbury era Sunday in Cincinnati.

The not-so-good news is that the supposedly high-octane offense continues to have issues getting into the end zone.

Murray threw for 253 yards Sunday and picked up 93 more on 10 carries, but his only touchdown of the game came on a run. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft now hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in back-to-back games and has just four for the season.

“The Cardinals piled up over 500 yards of total offense against the Bengals,” Davenport said, ” and most importantly won the game. But the Redbirds were in the red zone half a dozen times Sunday and came away with one touchdown against one of the worst defenses in football. To say that isn’t going to cut it is an understatement. Add in 12 penalties, and it was a sloppy win.”

 

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NFL power rankings: Packers, Seahawks, Raiders rise; Cowboys, Bears fall for Week 6

This Week: 25

Movement: ▲3

Comment: Kyler Murray was allowed to run wild and totally free for the first time last week against the Bengals, and he showed what an unstoppable dynamo he can be. The game plan called for tons of rushing, which led to Murray meeting his first NFL goal: winning his first game.

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NFL Power Rankings: The NFC West rules the Top 10 after Week 5

This Week: 27

Movement: —

Comment: Congrats to Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury for picking up their first NFL wins after an impressive rushing performance against Cincinnati. How good was the Cardinals’ ground game? Their 266 total rushing yards were the most for the Cardinals since 2011, and, per Cardinals PR guru Mark Dalton, they were the first team to have three players with more than 60 rushing yards (Murray, 93), David Johnson (91) and Chase Edmonds (68) since the Eagles did it in 1975.

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Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

This Week: 27

Movement: —

Comment: First dub of the career for Kyler Murray! The offense finally found the end zone after getting very close but kicking field goals all season long. The win count might not go much higher this season, but optimism exists with good reason!

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