The Consensus Week 13: Bye week does Cardinals’ ranking a favor

Winning is certainly the easiest way to move up in NFL Power Rankings, but it’s not the only way.

The Arizona Cardinals proved that this week my moving up nearly a full point from Week 12 without taking the field. The Cardinals were one of four teams with a late bye week, and despite that and riding a current four-game losing streak, Arizona moved up in our battery of Power Rankings from around the internet.

Here’s a quick rundown of what some of the leading national rankings are saying about the Cardinals and where they rank into their Week 13 divisional showdown with the Los Angeles Rams.

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High Ranking: 23 (ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report)

Low Ranking: 28 (Pro Football Talk)

Week 13 Average Ranking: 24.3 (Up from 25.2 in Week 12)

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Week 13 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus what each team is thankful for

This Week: 23

Movement: ▲1

What they’re thankful for: QB Kyler Murray.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft has been everything the Cardinals had hoped for and then some. His long history with Kliff Kingsbury’s offense helped him hit the ground running, which allowed for the Cardinals to avoid early-season speed bumps that typically come with starting a rookie quarterback. Then there has been his physical talent. His play has been outstanding. He has improved every week and maybe most importantly has learned from his mistakes. Murray has shown that his running ability is elite and his arm is right up there with it.

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NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Bills hit top 10, Cowboys fall out

This Week: 26 

Movement: —

Comment: The Cardinals have been the NFL’s streakiest team this season. Through Week 4, Arizona was 0-3-1. Bad! From Week 5 to Week 7, the Redbirds were 3-0. Perfect! From Week 8 through Week 11? 0-4. Brutal! The schedule stiffens up in the final weeks, as well: Four of the Cardinals’ final five opponents are over .500. Yes, there will be more challenges for Kyler Murray, but the good news is that the No. 1 overall pick continues to make progress in what’s been a very promising debut season. Murray leads all rookies in passing yards (2,703) and completions (254) and has seven touchdown passes against just one interception since Week 9. The Cardinals’ final record will not be pretty, but we can guarantee they won’t be in the first-round quarterback market for the third straight year.

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NFL Power Rankings Poll Week 13: Lamar and the Ravens Alone on Top

This Week: T24

Movement: ▲1

Comment: A second tight loss to the 49ers had Kyler Murray feeling some feelings. There are plenty of silver linings in the desert, but blowing leads of 16-0, 19-17 and 26-23 against one of the NFC’s best hurts in the midst of a 3-win season.

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NFL power rankings: How do Week 12 losses affect Cowboys, Packers?

This Week: 24

Movement: ▲1

Comment: Chandler Jones on track to lead league in sacks for second time in three seasons, yet does anybody give him acclaim he clearly deserves?

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NFL Power Rankings: Packers’ blowout loss raises questions about them

This Week: 23

Movement: ▲3

Comment: The Cardinals have a chance to be a real spoiler the rest of the way. All five remaining games (Rams twice, Steelers, Browns, Seahawks) are against teams that are at least somewhat in the playoff race or battling for a good seed. At least this interesting team will have relevant games.

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NFL Week 13 Power Rankings: Patriots, 49ers have historic defenses in era of wide-open offenses

This Week: 23

Movement: ▲1

Comment: They come off their bye with an eye on building for next year. The offense has certainly come alive in the past few games.

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PFT’s Week 13 power rankings

This Week: 28

Movement: —

Comment: Patrick Mahomes in 2018, Lamar Jackson in 2019 . . . Kyler Murray in 2020?

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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 13

This Week: 23

Movement: —

Comment: There’s an old adage in the NFL that you’re exactly as good as your record. By that measure, it hasn’t been a good season for the Arizona Cardinals.

However, look a little deeper, and there are reasons for optimism with the Cardinals—at least where the future is concerned.

Rookie quarterback Kyler Murray has been solid, completing almost 65 percent of his passes for over 2,700 yards with a plus-nine touchdown-to-interception ratio and a passer rating of over 90. Edge-rusher Chandler Jones continues to be arguably the most underrated player at his position in the league, pacing the NFL with 12.5 sacks entering Week 12. Young players like safety Budda Baker and wide receiver Christian Kirk have stepped into prominent roles.

This Redbirds team twice gave the San Francisco 49ers all they could handle. While Arizona couldn’t seal the deal in those games, with another offseason to improve, it could make a legitimate run at a playoff spot in 2020.

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NFL power rankings: 49ers, Seahawks, Steelers and Bills rise; Cowboys, Raiders fall for Week 13

This Week: 25

Movement: ▲2

Comment: The Cardinals moved up a little during the bye because some teams in their atmosphere fell hard in upset losses. Kyler Murray will try to continue his rookie-season momentum to try to steal Offensive Rookie of the Year from the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.

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NFL Power Rankings: Primetime blowouts shape our top five as we head into Thanksgiving

This Week: 25

Movement: ▲1

Comment: The Cardinals take a four-game losing streak into their bye week, and this latest loss seems to sting the worst, considering they were up 16-0 on 49ers before collapsing in the second half. Aside from encouraging progress by quarterback Kyler Murray and a league-high 12.5 sacks for Chandler Jones, there’s not much else positive to say here.

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Week 13 NFL Power Rankings

This Week: 25

Movement: ▼2

Comment: A bye week for Arizona, and both of their performances against San Fran look all the more impressive after the Niners’ dominant showing on national television this week.

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