The Consensus Week 13: Cardinals continue downward after Patriots loss
Dec 3, 2020, 8:18 AM | Updated: 9:40 am
Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake carries the ball in the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
It was a rough ending to a tough November for the Arizona Cardinals.
Against a beatable New England Patriots team, the Cardinals failed to close out the game, with costly penalties and missed opportunities the root cause of the loss.
Arizona’s record in November dropped to 1-3 with the defeat and 6-5 overall this season.
With the team’s third straight loss in the last four outings — the lone win being the Hail Murray game — most national power rankings continue to move the Cardinals down the list.
Next up for the Cardinals is a crucial NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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NFL Power Rankings Week 13: 1-32 poll, plus the most important game left for each team |
If the Cardinals lose this one, their playoff hopes might be dashed. A loss would put them two games behind the Rams with four to play, but with another game against them and one against the 49ers left, the Cardinals could run out of time to catch up in the NFC West. And sitting at 6-5, Arizona has three teams nipping at its heels for the seventh and last playoff spot. Coming off a 1-3 stretch, Sunday is as close to a must-win as Arizona has faced all season. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Titans re-enter top 10, Raiders drop out |
The Cardinals built a 10-0 lead early and held the Patriots to 179 yards of offense — but unforced errors and another quiet game for Kyler Murray led to a 20-17 loss that dampened Arizona’s playoff hopes. Zane Gonzalez missed wide right on a 45-yard field goal attempt with a minute to play, and Isaiah Simmons bailed out New England’s meager offense with a late hit on Cam Newton that set up Nick Folk’s game-winning 50-yard field goal as time expired. Murray didn’t exhibit any obvious signs of the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 11, but the Patriots’ defense did excellent work keeping him in the pocket and limited the dual-threat passer to just 31 rushing yards. Did New England just provide other teams a blueprint? Stay tuned. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Packers Top in the NFC; Titans Primed for Late-Season Charge |
The Cardinals were on top of the world two weeks ago when the Hail Murray put them at 6–3. Two losses later, you realize, “Uhhh, you know it’s a good thing they won a game on a miraculous final play or else they might be under .500 right now.” We know how talented they are, and how much potential they have, but the season may very well come down to two dates with the Rams in Weeks 13 and 17, and right now I’m giving L.A. a slight edge. | ||
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NFL power rankings: First-place Packers, Titans climb into top five |
They’re fortunate to not be on a five-game slide and need flagging QB Kyler Murray to rebound coming off first TD-less game of 2020. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: This is not a drill, Browns are going to playoffs (unless they screw it up) |
I don’t hate the Cardinals going for the touchdown at the end of the first half on fourth down. Bringing the clock down to 3 seconds was an error — you’d like to pin the Patriots deep and go for a safety — but it wasn’t an egregious one. What was bad was having the fastest quarterback in the NFL and just handing it off up the middle to Kenyan Drake. A good example of the decision to go for it being right and the play call being bad. | ||
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NFL Week 13 Power Rankings: Chiefs stay behind undefeated Steelers, Titans and Browns winning by running |
Losing consecutive road games has them reeling a bit. Now they have to turn it around quickly with a big division game on tap with the Rams. | ||
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PFT’s Week 13 2020 power rankings |
From Hail Murray to Hell, Murray. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 13 |
Not long ago, the Arizona Cardinals were one of the hottest teams in the NFC. The Redbirds hit their bye week with a 5-2 record and were coming off a huge overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks. One month later, the Cardinals are 6-5 and are sitting in third place in their division after a third loss in four games Sunday at New England. | ||
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NFL power rankings: Packers, Bills, Browns rise; Raiders, Cardinals see playoff chances slip for Week 13 |
The Cardinals have fallen hard a couple times with a banged-up Kyler Murray, losing two close games they could have easily won. With their defensive issues, they still might be a year away from being a real playoff factor. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: The Packers and Titans Have Offenses That Can Crush Almost Anyone |
The Contenders; 7. Seattle Seahawks (8-3), 8. Indianapolis Colts (7-4), 9. Miami Dolphins (7-4), 10. Los Angeles Rams (7-4), 11. Cleveland Browns (8-3), 12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5), 13. Baltimore Ravens (6-4), 14. Arizona Cardinals (6-5). | ||
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Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Longest week ever |
They’ve looked very ordinary on offense the last two weeks, Kyler Murray included. |
