Thursday, September 10, 2020

Week 1 Arizona Cardinals NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2020 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Arizona Cardinals rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 19.8 (21st)
  • Best ranking: 14th (CBS Sports)
  • Worst ranking: 23th (NFL.com)

Below you will find a Week 1 roundup for the Cardinals in our consensus 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

The Athletic -- Rank: 19

They are near the top of the Red Zone Channel rankings in terms of teams I want to watch this offseason. Kyler Murray is a dynamic runner and throws a beautiful deep ball. And Kliff Kingsbury showed a willingness to adapt to his personnel as a first-year head coach. The defense is a major question mark, and coordinator Vance Joseph will have to deploy a creative plan to get the most out of first-round pick Isaiah Simmons. But this could be a fun, frisky team.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 14

The offense will be explosive with Kyler Murray in his second season. In fact, he will be in the MVP mix. The defense will also be much improved, which is why I think they will make the playoffs.

USA Today -- Rank: 21

Is Chandler Jones NFL's most underappreciated player? Since coming to Arizona in 2016, he has 60 sacks – eight more than next-most prolific player ... who just happens to be Aaron Donald.

ESPN -- Rank: 22

How will DeAndre Hopkins fit in?

Josh Weinfuss: He's one of the best players in all of football, not just among wide receivers, so adding him to the offense will instantly make the Cardinals better. But does Hopkins become the No. 1 right off the bat? Is he the go-to receiver on third down or in the red zone? Does he defer to Larry Fitzgerald? These are all questions that will be answered starting in Week 1. Hopkins alone makes the Cardinals' offense immediately more dangerous. He'll draw plenty of defensive attention, which will open up the field for the rest of Arizona's playmakers.

NFL.com -- Rank: 23

Kyler Murray said last month that the wide receiver trio of DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk could all surpass 1,000 yards in 2020. Impressively, this particular team feat has its own Wikipedia page, and it tells me triple 1Ks (my term) have occurred five times in NFL history, most recently achieved by -- you guessed it -- the Cardinals back in 2008. (Hi, Steve Breaston!) You can make a legitimate case for all three of the modern Cards wideouts pulling it off in Kliff Kingsbury's "crazy fast" offense. Relatedly, it makes you wonder if there's any role to be had for 2019 second-round pick Andy Isabella.

Previous update: Arizona Cardinals Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings Roundup

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