Week 14 NFL Power Rankings Recap: Slight bump for the Cardinals

For the first time in a while, the Arizona Cardinals ascended in various NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 14.

That ascent is the result of Arizona’s most complete and impressive win of the season — a 31-23 victory over the Washington Redskins at University of Phoenix Stadium. Carson Palmer completed 30-of-46 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns while David Johnson continued doing David Johnson-type things. The second-year running back found the end zone twice while amassing 175 yards from scrimmage.

Johnson was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Here’s a rundown of what some prominent national outlets — and we here at arizonasports.com — are saying about the Cardinals:

Cardinals Average Power Ranking: 20.9

(up from 24.5 last week)

High Ranking: #17 (ESPN)

Low Ranking: #25 (CBS Sports)

Arizona Sports Week 14 NFL Power Rankings: Cowboys, Patriots, Raiders stay in top three

Cardinals rank: #18 (▲ 5)

Too little, too late? Either way, that was easily their best win of the year.

Week 14 NFL Power Rankings: Cowboys, Patriots rule the roost

Cardinals rank: #17 (▲ 6)

If the Cardinals were any better overall, David Johnson might be receiving MVP buzz. He has had 100 scrimmage yards in every game this season, and has accounted for 39 percent of the team’s yards from scrimmage. Johnson takes his talents to South Beach in Week 14.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Ravens, Steelers storm top 10

Cardinals rank: #19 (▲ 3)

Finance 3770. Terrifically boring class at the University of North Texas, at least for me. Yet, I do remember one major tenet from that snoozefest in the prehistoric Business Admin building: The higher the risk, the higher the return. Bruce Arians lives it on the football field, often. After Jay Gruden inexplicably called a timeout with 2:03 left on the clock, down one point, Arians knew any play he called on the impending second down would only burn a few seconds before the two-minute warning kicked in. So what did the Cardinals do? Go deep! Carson Palmer threw a perfect flutterball to J.J. Nelson halfway into the end zone, and it was 31-23, Arizona. Awesome stuff. Throw in back-to-back high-risk safety blitzes against Kirk Cousins, in a situation when most teams are in prevent, and you get the point here. You know what Arians and staff got? A game-sealing pick.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Lions moving their way up as they inch closer to playoffs

Cardinals rank: #19 (▲ 6)

If you’ve ever watched a group of kids try to catch a dog that’s gotten loose, you know what it looks like when NFL defenders have to tackle David Johnson. The Cardinals’ running back has 194 yards receiving over the past two weeks and a league-high 336 yards from scrimmage.

NFL Power Rankings 2016 Week 14

Cardinals rank: #25 (▲ 1)

They would likely have to win out to have any chance to make the playoffs. It starts this week in Miami.

NFL power rankings Week 14: It’s time to believe in the Chiefs and Lions

Cardinals rank: #20 (▲ 5)

No comment.

Chris Simms’ NFL Power Rankings Ahead of Week 14

Cardinals rank: #23 (▲ 3)

Bruce Arians’ favorite coaching saying is “no risk it, no biscuit.”

He rolled the dice on 4th-and-1 from the Cardinals’ own 34-yard line. And the longtime coach got the sweet satisfaction of knowing his team could run the clock out.

It also might be able to run any opponent off the field. David Johnson is transcending the stat sheet; his 175 combined yards and two touchdowns don’t tell the full story of how dominant he was. Expect to see him on my All-22 team.

More encouraging signs came from Arizona’s defense. One week after surrendering a boatload of Falcons yards, it bounced back on the strength of its stars. Both Calais Campbell and Patrick Peterson lifted Arizona back into the playoff race.

NFL Power Rankings: Can we finally trust the Detroit Lions as contenders?

Cardinals rank: #23 (▲ 2)

John Brown played 21 snaps on Sunday, with no targets his way. He has 19 yards on one catch the last three weeks. He has been dealing with sickle cell trait this season and that has robbed him of his effectiveness on the field. He’s just 26 and had 1,003 yards last season, so hopefully he and doctors can figure out a solution and he can go on with his career.

USA Today Power Rankings – Week 14

Cardinals rank: #23 (▲ 3)

The only wide receiver in league history who still has more receptions than Larry Fitzgerald is Jerry Rice. Start carving his bust, too.

NFL Week 14 power rankings

Cardinals rank: #21 (▲ 3)

The Cardinals’ season is all but done, but they’ll go down fighting, as evidenced by their Sunday win over the Redskins. One thing has been made abundantly clear: David Johnson is one of the five best players in all of football right now.

PFT’s Week 14 Power Rankings

Cardinals rank: #22 (▲ 3)

Too little, too late, too bad.

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