Cardinals rank high in ESPN preseason power rankings
Aug 17, 2016, 8:15 AM | Updated: 11:24 am
Coach Bruce Arians watches during a training camp practice Aug. 14. (Photo by Adam Green/Arizona Sports)
(Photo by Adam Green/Arizona Sports)
Power rankings.
While they really don’t mean squat at the end of the day, people love them.
We’re guilty, too. Every week during the season, we publish our NFL Power Rankings Roundup, which gives our readers a thumbnail of what prominent national voices are saying about their favorite team.
After winning 13 games and earning a trip to the NFC Championship Game, the Arizona Cardinals ranked high in every power ranking last season. Heading into 2016, with the momentum of a record-setting season and a well-received offseason, the Cardinals are near the top again.
ESPN.com released their preseason power rankings Wednesday, and they’ve got Bruce Arians’ team ranked second in the league.
Arizona has gotten better each season under coach Bruce Arians. If that trend continues, expect big things from a Cardinals team that set franchise records in wins (13) and points (489) in 2015.
That’s the good news. The bad news is, a team in the Cardinals’ own division — the Seattle Seahawks — rank first. As the piece points out, this is the fourth straight season the Seahawks have topped the preseason pecking order.
The New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers round out the top five. The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos rank eighth on the list.
The two other teams in the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, rank 29th and 32nd, respectively.
