Week 5 NFL Power Rankings Recap: Cardinals sinking like a stone
Oct 5, 2016, 7:14 AM | Updated: 11:25 am
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown (12) is hit by Los Angeles Rams strong safety T.J. McDonald (25) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
If anyone knows what’s going on with the Arizona Cardinals, please step forward.
Nobody?
The Cardinals’ disappointing 2016 season continued last Sunday with a 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. At 1-3, Arizona has now matched its loss total from 2015.
To make matters worse, they’ve got a short week and a road trip to Santa Clara to take on the struggling San Francisco 49ers Thursday night and their quarterback, Carson Palmer, is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Needless to say, the Cardinals continue to fall in NFL Power Rankings.
Here’s a rundown of what some prominent national outlets are saying about the Cardinals:
Cardinals Average Power Ranking: 17.9
(down from 11.6 last week)
High Ranking: #17 (ESPN, NFL Network, Fox)
Low Ranking: #22 (CBS Sports)
Week 5 NFL Power Rankings: Broncos, Seahawks pack 1-2 punch
Cardinals rank: #17 (▼ 12)
5: Committing five turnovers in a game once is bad enough, but doing it in back-to-back weeks? You’d have to go back to 1992, when they were called the Phoenix Cardinals, to find the last instance of back-to-back five-turnover games for the franchise.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Denver Broncos claim No. 1 spot
Cardinals rank: #17 (▼ 5)
Boy, when I watched “All or Nothing”, I didn’t realize the answer in 2016 was going to be “nothing.” Holy crap. Arizona is 1-3. The Rams have a two-game lead in the NFC West, in addition to the head-to-head advantage over the Cardinals. Carson Palmer is in the concussion protocol. Chris Johnson hurt his groin. Ditto Tyvon Branch. So there’s really only one thing to look forward to: Arizona plays the similarly 1-3 49ers on Thursday. But is that game anything other than an even match at this point?
NFL Week 5 Power Rankings: Defensive dominance separates the league’s elite
Cardinals rank: #20 (▼ 5)
Uh … fellas? You awake over there? The turnover problem is getting a little out of control in the desert: seven in the NFC title game, five in the loss to Buffalo, another five against Los Angeles. If the Cardinals are forced to start Drew Stanton over an injured Carson Palmer on Thursday … well, that should be a much more substantial drop-off than it might turn out to be, given how Palmer has played of late.
NFL Power Rankings: Move over Patriots, there’s a new No. 1 — and No. 2
Cardinals rank: #22 (▼ 8)
Who ever imagined they’d be down this far after the first month? Carson Palmer hasn’t been the same quarterback.
NFL power rankings 2016, Week 5: Defense rules
Cardinals rank: #20 (▼ 6)
Arizona’s problems seem more correctable, but the team better figure things out fast, as they’re also dealing with a concussed quarterback. The Cardinals became the first team since 2012 to have five turnovers in back-to-back weeks.
The other issue for Arizona has been its inability to stop the run, but the team plugged things up for Todd Gurley on Sunday (who hasn’t?). If the Cardinals can figure out a way to both stop the run and not turn the ball over incessantly, they might have more results like the Week 2 demolition of the Buccaneers.
Chris Simms’ NFL Power Rankings Ahead of Week 5
Cardinals rank: #21 (▼ 9)
Arizona crashed down my power rankings for one simple reason.
That big-play Bruce Arians offense? It isn’t working. All 10 of Carson Palmer’s first-quarter drives have ended in punts.
Palmer took too many hits from Aaron Donald and Eugene Sims—including the one that knocked him out of Sunday’s game. Why? I told you four weeks ago when the season started. From guard to guard, Arizona has the weakest interior offensive line among contending teams.
It’s not on Palmer or backup Drew Stanton when they turn the ball over as much as they did. It’s on the system that forces the ball downfield or gets away from the run or puts the defense in terrible jams.
NFL Power Rankings: Do you think the Rams are for real?
Cardinals rank: #18 (▼ 11)
The roster is better than it was last season. You can’t look at it on paper and think it’s worse. But it’s time to concede that Carson Palmer might not be the same, and that is affecting everything else.
USA Today Power Rankings – Week 5
Cardinals rank: #18 (▼ 6)
With six turnovers in past two starts, maybe a week off would be beneficial to concussed QB Carson Palmer on several levels.
NFL Week 5 power rankings: A new No. 1
Cardinals rank: #17 (▼ 8)
Is it possible Arizona just isn’t a good team? It’s not likely, but with Carson Palmer suffering a concussion and the offense looking stagnant, the Cardinals are in danger of missing the playoffs. This comes after they were Super Bowl favorites before the season. They need to turn it around and they need to do so immediately.
PFT’s Week Five Power Rankings
Cardinals rank: #19 (▼ 3)
From All or Nothing to Nothing and Nothing.
