Arizona Cardinals fall in most Power Rankings

A loss of focus or a loss of execution cost the Cardinals a game in the division with Seattle losing

The loss to the Steelers with a costly endzone interception to basically seal the game for the opposing team had just about every Cardinals fan thinking back to the Rams game a few weeks ago. Lack of execution, a defense that played “okay” but didn’t score any points and an offense that moved the ball but didn’t capitalize on any thing.

The Cardinals fell in most Power Rankings this week, even in our own falling two spots from five to seven. As I relayed there:

"This team, who was starting to “smell a little better” a few weeks ago after the 49ers win, may have sat in the sun a little too long."

Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com on NBC Sports has the Cardinals dropping to nine from six, with a statement that many had at the beginning of the season that keeps coming back to haunt them.

"Maybe the Cardinals really haven’t beaten anyone."

Ouch.

Pat Kirwin, at CBSSports.com, who is one of my favorite NFL hosts/personalities, has the Cardinals drop a single spot from seven to eight with some bright-side looks for what could happen for the rest of the season.

"In their two losses, the Cards have turned the ball over six times and allowed five sacks. Keep Carson Palmer upright and they can beat anyone on any given day."

Frank Schwab at Yahoo! gives some explanation fro his inherit grumpiness when it comes to the Cardinals with them dropping from six to nine as well.

"They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-string quarterback on Sunday. I just want to see one quality win before I put them in the NFC championship game like everyone else seems to be doing, that’s all."

He does have a point, a slim point, but you play the schedule you’re given, and no one expected teams to be as bad as they are, but the Cardinals are dropping easy, important early season games when their schedule gets significantly harder with Green Bay, Seattle (x2) and Cincinnati all still to be played.

Elliot Harrison at NFL.com sums it up pretty succinctly:

"The Cardinals had no business losing that game at Heinz on Sunday."

All in all, the Cardinals are still a top ten team, with four wins and two losses and two, seemingly, winnable games leading into the bye with Baltimore in town for a Monday Night Football matchup and the team traveling to Ohio to face the Browns in two weeks. After the last few losses I won’t take anything for granted, but you better believe if they don’t play well in prime time on Monday, Bruce Arians will be on his team so hard, we may be able to hear it from Tempe all over the Valley.