Arizona Cardinals rise in Power Rankings for Week 11
By Erich Becker
Apparently, exercising your demons from last season is good for business
Last year, without a healthy Carson Palmer, the Arizona Cardinals fell to the Seattle Seahawks both times they met, once on the road, once at home, the downward spiral for the Cardinals and upswing for the Seahawks can be traced back to Palmer going down with the second ACL injury of his career.
This year, going back up to Seattle with Palmer on the active roster as the QB, the results were the same as 2013, the Cardinals met the Seahawks head on and beat them in their house, even with our best efforts to sabotage the game.
Appropriately so, the Cardinals rose in most Power Rankings a week after coming off the bye and then handing Seattle their fifth loss of the season. The Cardinals still have not beaten a team above .500, but for a team that needed this win in more ways than one, the monkey off their back is reason enough to celebrate.
In our own rankings the Cardinals moved into third place, behind the two remaining unbeaten teams.
"The Cardinals still have not beaten a team above .500, but that doesn’t matter when you go into Seattle, take a win (nearly give it back, twice), the once vaunted Seattle defense gave up 450 yards, including over 350+ passing beating their season average by nearly two hundred yards. The Cardinals needed a statement win, this was it."
At NFL.com, Elliot Harrison shows the Cardinals some love with a two spot jump from six to four:
"Don’t think too many fans should take issue with the Cardinals’ jump up the ranks here. Every time I watch Carson Palmer set up in the pocket, deliver that intermediate throw on time and on target with that compact motion of his, I see Troy Aikman. They have the same build, generally don’t get too up or too down (minus Palmer’s brief moment of Stantonism on the sideline in Seattle) and stand tall in the pocket. What’s interesting to note is that Aikman retired prior to Year 13. This is Year 13 for Palmer. #UCLA #USC"
ESPN’s hive mind has the Cardinals enjoying the third spot, up from six:
"After beating the Seahawks, the Cardinals have a commanding lead in the NFC West. The last time Arizona won the division was 2009."
At CBSSports.com, Pete Prisco has the team up from five to four:
"That was a huge statement game they won at Seattle. The NFC West is their division to lose."
At FOX Sports, the Cardinals move from four to three, their highest rank of the season:
"Carson Palmer has thrown for at least 275 yards passing or three touchdowns in every game this season. The Cardinals are legit."
The Cardinals move up one point in Shutdown Corner‘s rankings from five to four:
"Tyrann Mathieu is an incredible player for the Cardinals’ defense. He fills any role they need him to be in and does everything really well."
With Week 10 in the books and Week 11 looming against a recently defeated Cincinnati team on a short week and probably a little irate (and not just with J.J. Watt) could the Cardinals rise even higher if they can knock off the Bengals in Glendale?