The Consensus Week 6: Cardinals get mixed reviews for win over Jets
Oct 15, 2020, 6:50 AM
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in East Rutherford. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Arizona Cardinals snapped their two-game losing streak in a dominant showing over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Manhandling the home team, 30-10, Arizona was in control for most of the afternoon. Second-year quarterback Kyler Murray threw for a career-high 380 yards and two total touchdowns on his way to being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
The Cardinals didn’t get out of the meeting unscathed, however, with Arizona losing outside linebacker Chandler Jones for the rest of year after he suffered a biceps injury in the victory.
Factoring in Jones’ season-ending injury, and the fact that the Cardinals beat the winless Jets, resulted in a mixed bag among national power rankings across the country.
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
NFL Power Rankings Week 6: 1-32 poll, plus each team’s biggest weakness |
The Cardinals have just one interception this season, and it came in Week 4, tying them for 29th in the NFL. Only the Texans have fewer. Even though Arizona is tied for seventh in the league with 14 sacks, the Cardinals are hardly getting pressure on quarterbacks. They’re ranked 31st in pressure percentage with a rate of 19.5. Very little pressure puts very little stress on quarterbacks, and stress tends to lead to bad throws and more interceptions. If the Cardinals can get more pressure up front, that will likely translate into more picks. | ||
 |
NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Packers claim No. 1; Browns crack top 10 |
If you want to get right as an offense, play the Jets. Kyler Murray was back to looking like a rising superstar in Week 5, throwing for a career-best 380 yards in a 30-10 win at MetLife Stadium. Murray’s connection with DeAndre Hopkins was again a big story: Hopkins had his third outing of at least 130 yards in five weeks and iced the game with a beautiful one-handed TD grab on a pretty Murray deep ball in the fourth quarter. Hopkins said after the win he’s happy he’s getting to show in Arizona that he’s more than a possession receiver. It was a thinly veiled shot at Bill O’Brien and also a nod to Kliff Kingsbury, who is getting the most out of his best player. | ||
 |
NFL Power Rankings: No Need to Worry for Buccaneers, Chiefs |
As the Cardinals can attest, an afternoon in East Rutherford will cure what ails you. Though losing Chandler Jones is a huge blow, and the offense needs to prove it can attack downfield (doing so against those Jets corners doesn’t really prove much) rather than just relying on quick-strike and Kyler Murray scrambles. | ||
 |
NFL power rankings: Packers claim No. 1 spot, three teams crack top five in aftermath of Chiefs’ first loss |
Tough break for Chandler Jones, whose biceps injury is officially season ending. May be no more underappreciated talent in the league. | ||
 |
NFL Power Rankings: How does Dak Prescott’s injury reshape the NFC East race? |
Kenyan Drake got in the end zone, but still averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and his role in the passing game has disappeared. At some point, Arizona might start giving Chase Edmonds more carries. He has looked like the better option so far this season and it’s not really close. | ||
 |
NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: Packers new No. 1 as Chiefs fall, Browns soar into top six |
The Jets were the perfect tonic for a team that needed to get back on track. Losing Chandler Jones is a tough one to take. | ||
 |
PFT’s final Week Six power rankings |
Kyler Murray gets his chance to show a national audience what he can do on Monday night against the Cowboys. | ||
 |
NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 6 |
After a hot start to the season, the Arizona Cardinals had struggled as of late. Back-to-back defeats that included an embarrassing home loss to the lowly Lions dropped the Redbirds to .500 heading into Sunday. Luckily, Week 5 brought the fix to all that ails an NFL team: a trip to face the New York Jets. | ||
 |
NFL power rankings: Seahawks overtake Chiefs with Steelers close behind; 49ers, Cowboys fall for Week 6 |
The Cardinals took care of the Jets in their long cross-country flight the way they should have. There’s an opening in the NFC West to get a wild card, but they have a better litmus test at the Cowboys next week. The defense needs to start to making more big plays. | ||
 |
NFL Power Rankings: The Packers Offense Doesn’t Need Receivers to Roll |
The Muddled Middle: 16. Arizona Cardinals (3-2), 17. Carolina Panthers (3-2), 18. Dallas Cowboys (2-3), 19. Miami Dolphins (2-3), 20. Detroit Lions (1-3), 21. Minnesota Vikings (1-4), 22. Los Angeles Chargers (1-4), 23. San Francisco 49ers (2-3) | ||
 |
Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Cardinals’ tumble continues |
Got right vs. the ultimate ‘get right’ opponent in the Jets. |
