The Consensus Week 14: Arizona Cardinals keep tumbling
Dec 9, 2020, 10:12 AM
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) heads to his sidelines after a three and out against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona Cardinals continue to be on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
The team dropped its third straight contest on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams in what was a lackluster performance from the offense.
Quarterback Kyler Murray turned in a consecutive game of less than 200 yards passing and has combined for just 46 yards on 10 rushing attempts in the past two games.
Losing four of its last five games, Arizona continues to plummet across national power rankings.
But despite the defeat to the NFC West foe, the Cardinals didn’t see a significant drop.
A loss to the hosting New York Giants in Week 14, however, could spell a rankings disaster.
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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NFL Power Rankings Week 14: 1-32 poll, plus the players and coaches with the most at stake |
Person with most at stake: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury. While Kingsbury’s job isn’t in jeopardy at the moment, a bad finish won’t sit well with ownership, which hired him to win and win now — and that was expected when it paired Kyler Murray with him and then brought in DeAndre Hopkins this offseason. The tools are there, and they’ve worked at times. The Cardinals started 5-2, but they are 1-4 in their past five games. If the Cards finish with only a win or two in their final nine contests, Kingsbury will enter the 2021 season on the hot seat despite finishing with more victories than he had in 2019. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Saints leapfrog Steelers; Browns crack top 10 |
The Cardinals’ dream of winning the NFC West died on Sunday — now it’s on Kliff Kingsbury and Co. to figure out a way to keep this once-promising season from circling the drain. Kyler Murray was bottled up once again, this time by Aaron Donald and the Rams’ defense, and the Cardinals continue to show they cannot win when they don’t get a special performance from their second-year quarterback. To that point, remove one Hail Murray from the equation, and Arizona is riding a five-game losing streak right now. “We kind of hit a wall as far as offensively,” Murray said of the team’s performance in recent weeks. Week 14’s matchup with the surging Giants is a virtual must-win. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Josh Allen and the Bills Are Rolling; Chiefs Look Unstoppable |
Losers of three straight, the Cardinals now hit the NFC East portion of their schedule. That would seem like a welcome reprieve, except for the fact that no team is running through brick walls quite like the Giants right now. | ||
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NFL power rankings: Chiefs reclaim No. 1 spot, Steelers drop to third after suffering first loss of 2020 |
QB Kyler Murray averaging 20.3 rushing yards per game during Arizona’s three-week free fall as defenses look to contain him to the pocket – apparently a wise strategy. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Fire sale to playoffs? Vikings might sneak in due to Cardinals’ slump |
The Cardinals might have been better off sitting Kyler Murray until he got healthy. Since he hurt his shoulder against Seattle in Week 11 his production has fallen off. He looks hesitant to run and his passing has been less effective. There’s no turning back now. The Cardinals need to find a way to end this losing streak. | ||
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NFL Week 14 Power Rankings: Chiefs replace Steelers at the top, Browns up to No. 6, Titans take biggest fall |
The offense has struggled the past three weeks in three straight losses. Can they get it back on track against an improved Giants team? | ||
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PFT’s Week 14 2020 power rankings |
The NFL has caught up with the Arizona offense. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 14 |
When the Cardinals hit their Week 8 bye, they were 5-2 and looked the part of a legitimate contender in the NFC West. But since then, the Redbirds have won only one game, and that victory came courtesy of a Hail Mary pass at the end of their Week 10 tilt with the Buffalo Bills. Sunday’s 10-point loss to the rival Rams was the Cardinals’ third straight defeat, and it did more than just drop them two games back in the division. It dropped them out of the NFC playoffs altogether (for now). | ||
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NFL power rankings: Chiefs still ahead of Steelers, Packers; Patriots, Browns climb for Week 14 |
After losing three straight, the Cardinals are about where they should be in the second year with Kyler Murray as his sophomore slump was on delay and the defensive issues are coming to the forefront against better balanced defenses. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Patrick Mahomes Can Cover Up Any Flaw |
The Muddled Middle; 14. New England Patriots (6-6), 15. Minnesota Vikings (6-6), 16. Las Vegas Raiders (7-5), 17. Arizona Cardinals (6-6), 18. San Francisco 49ers (5-7), 19. New York Giants (5-7), 20. Washington Football Team (5-7), 21. Detroit Lions (5-7), 22. Chicago Bears (5-7). | ||
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Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Longest week ever |
Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense hasn’t been off the ground in three weeks. |
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