Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Arizona Cardinals Week 6 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: 16.0 (16th)
  • Best ranking: 15th (NFL.com)
  • Worst ranking: 17th (USA Today)

Below you will find a Week 6 roundup for the Cardinals in our consensus 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

The Athletic -- Rank: 16

I loved the aggressive call by Kliff Kingsbury in the third quarter of their win over the Jets. The Cardinals faced a fourth-and-1 from their own 39. They were up 17-10 at the time. Kyler Murray executed a play-fake and found Darrell Daniels wide open for a 31-yard gain. The Cardinals scored a touchdown on the possession and took control of the game. Murray chucked the ball downfield all afternoon, connecting on seven completions of 20-plus yards, tied for the most of any quarterback in Week 5. DeAndre Hopkins made a couple great catches in the fourth, including one that went for a 37-yard touchdown. And the Cardinals improved to 3-2.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 16

The Jets were the perfect tonic for a team that needed to get back on track. Losing Chandler Jones is a tough one to take.

USA Today -- Rank: 17

Tough break for Chandler Jones, whose biceps injury is officially season ending. May be no more underappreciated talent in the league.

ESPN -- Rank: 16

Biggest weakness: Interceptions

The Cardinals have just one interception this season, and it came in Week 4, tying them for 29th in the NFL. Only the Texans have fewer. Even though Arizona is tied for seventh in the league with 14 sacks, the Cardinals are hardly getting pressure on quarterbacks. They're ranked 31st in pressure percentage with a rate of 19.5. Very little pressure puts very little stress on quarterbacks, and stress tends to lead to bad throws and more interceptions. If the Cardinals can get more pressure up front, that will likely translate into more picks. -- Josh Weinfuss

NFL.com -- Rank: 15

If you want to get right as an offense, play the Jets. Kyler Murray was back to looking like a rising superstar in Week 5, throwing for a career-best 380 yards in a 30-10 win at MetLife Stadium. Murray's connection with DeAndre Hopkins was again a big story: Hopkins had his third outing of at least 130 yards in five weeks and iced the game with a beautiful one-handed TD grab on a pretty Murray deep ball in the fourth quarter. Hopkins said after the win he's happy he's getting to show in Arizona that he's more than a possession receiver. It was a thinly veiled shot at Bill O'Brien and also a nod to Kliff Kingsbury, who is getting the most out of his best player.

Previous update: Arizona Cardinals Week 5 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

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