The Consensus Week 16: Not a lot of movement for Cardinals depsite win
Dec 23, 2020, 10:41 AM | Updated: 10:42 am
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Arizona Cardinals made it back-to-back wins with a 33-26 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Arizona jumped out to 16-0 lead but couldn’t quite pull away from the NFC East foe, knocking off the Eagles 33-26.
Quarterback Kyler Murray set a new career high with 406 passing yards and scored four total touchdowns in the win.
Defensively, outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck turned in another two-sack performance.
Despite consecutive wins, the needle didn’t move much in terms of where the Cardinals stand across national power rankings.
| Outlet | Rankings | Cardinals’ Rank | Movement | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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NFL Power Rankings Week 16: 1-32 poll, plus the most underrated standout on each team |
While the Cardinals’ defense is full of individual stars such as Chandler Jones, Budda Baker, Patrick Peterson, Isaiah Simmons and Dennis Gardeck, it’s Hicks who keeps the unit together at inside linebacker. He’s the quarterback of the defense, and he hardly comes off the field, playing 901 snaps this season, second most on the team and 22nd in the NFL, while leading the team in tackles. Hicks has been quietly consistent, also leading the team in defensive snaps and tackles last season. Without him, the Cardinals’ defense wouldn’t rank as a top-10 unit since Week 8. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: Bills rise to No. 2; Steelers in free fall |
The Cardinals have survived their funk. Arizona is back to looking like a dangerous NFC upstart, and Kyler Murray has regained his form as a young superstar who can take out any conference superpower if the stars align. The quarterback set a career high with 406 yards passing, racking up four total touchdowns (three through the air, one on the ground) in a 33-26 win over the Eagles that keeps the Cards in playoff contention with two weeks to play. Murray’s favorite target was, of course, DeAndre Hopkins, who finished with 169 yards and a touchdown. Hopkins went over 100 receptions for the third straight year and has eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark seven times this season. Look up No. 1 Receiver in the football dictionary, and you’ll see a picture of Nuk. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs Finding New Ways to Win, Steelers Continue to Stumble |
When Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins are on, and for a lot of varying reasons, there isn’t a more entertaining team to watch in football. | ||
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NFL power rankings: Does New York Jets’ win shake things up at the bottom? |
You’d expect a desert-based pass rush to bring the heat, and Arizona has exploded for 14 sacks over the past two weeks. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Rams have to rebound quickly from the worst loss of 2020 NFL season |
This season hasn’t been easy on Larry Fitzgerald. His play has trailed off at age 37 and he battled COVID-19. Scoring a touchdown in a win over the Eagles on Sunday was a nice highlight in what could be a legend’s last season. And if this is the end, at least it looks like Fitzgerald will get one more chance to play in the postseason. | ||
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NFL Week 16 Power Rankings: Seahawks up to No. 4, Rams fall five spots, Jaguars sink to bottom and have hope |
They found a way against Philadelphia, but the defense struggled again. They have to be better if they are to get to the playoffs. | ||
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PFT’s Week 16 2020 NFL power rankings |
They likely won’t get very far in the playoffs, but any playoff experience they get now will help them in the future. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: B/R’s Expert Consensus Rank for Every Team Entering Week 16 |
After dropping four of five games to fall to 6-6 on the season, the Arizona Cardinals had their backs against the wall. They briefly fell behind the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC’s wild-card race. But thanks to a massive game from young quarterback Kyler Murray on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cardinals have peeled off two in a row and now sit one game ahead of the Chicago Bears for the seventh seed in the NFC. | ||
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NFL power rankings: Bears, Cowboys rising as playoff hopefuls; Steelers, Rams, Raiders tumble for Week 16 |
The Cardinals are hot again offensively at the ideal time with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins and their pass rush has suddenly come alive with Haason Reddick and others. Arizona looks like it will be going through the playoff front door vs. backing in. | ||
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NFL Power Rankings: Are the Ravens Finally Finding Their Groove? |
The Contenders; 7. Baltimore Ravens (9-5), 8. Cleveland Browns (10-4), 9. Seattle Seahawks (10-4), 10. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3), 11. Miami Dolphins (9-5), 12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5), 13. Los Angeles Rams (9-5), 14. Arizona Cardinals (8-6), 15. Chicago Bears (7-7), 16. Washington Football Team (6-8). | ||
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Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 16: Top three unchanged |
Pulled off the rare win when being -3 in turnovers. |
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