The Arizona Cardinals modestly rise in most Power Rankings, fall in a few others.
The week that was is finally over with the Arizona Cardinals closing out Week 7 on Monday Night Football with a nail-biting win over the Baltimore Ravens. It wasn’t a pretty game, it wasn’t a clean game, it wasn’t a happy game. Things got chippy from the very onset with the Cardinals being called for a personal foul just as the game was getting going. There were some questionable calls, and some veteran plays by the tenured guys on the roster.
But what do the experts say when you were suppose to dominate a very good, five loss team and you nearly give the game up in the waning seconds?
Elliot Harrison at NFL.com has the team firmly entrenched at number 9, the same as last week.
"What appeared to be a game in control evolved — or devolved — into a furious ending in the desert. Furious pass rush from Dwight Freeney, too — the 35-year-old was bringing the heat on that final drive. Freeney, Chris Johnson (who stunningly ranks second in the NFL in rushing) and Larry Fitzgerald: Three veterans written off by many who are now key pieces of a 5-2 first-place puzzle."
Pat Kirwin at CBSSports.com has the Cardinals moving up from eight to six:
"The Cardinals have the offensive talent and the coach to win the NFC West. Their aggressive defense will be a problem for most teams looking to throw the ball. They have 12 interceptions by seven different players and 12 sacks by 10 different players which makes things tough for quarterbacks trying to read the defense."
Also over at CBS, Pete Prisco has the Cardinals moving up one from eight to seven:
"They have to tighten up that defense again. They made it interesting late against the Ravens"
FOXSports gives the team the biggest jump from 10 to six, with a lot of nice things to say as well:
"With one of the NFL’s best coaching staffs, the Cardinals are equipped to win games even when a few big plays don’t go their way. Carson Palmer has made an early bid for both Comeback Player of the Year and MVP and he’s tied for the league lead with 16 touchdown passes."
After ESPN had the Cardinals ranked the highest last week at four, the drop two spots to six.
"Age is just a number for the Cardinals. Carson Palmer (35) is third in Total QBR, Chris Johnson (30) is second in rushing and Larry Fitzgerald (32) is fifth in receiving yards."
Of course, you can also see where the Cardinals rank in our Power Rankings, along with every other team (hint, they move from seven to six!).
So while there isn’t a big jump for the red birds after the win, maybe it isn’t to be expected in the way that they won, although you could say that good teams win those games, even with a few miscues, bad teams would let the Ravens score, get 2-pts, and get the win in overtime. I was just happy to go home in regulation with a smile on my face.