Cardinals hold spot in new power rankings after win over Jets
The Arizona Cardinals picked up a win on the road over the weekend, defeating the New York Jets 30-10, looking good both offensively and defensively. However, in the latest power rankings from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, the win did nothing to improve the Cardinals’ status.
For the second week in a row, they come in No. 17 overall.
The Cardinals’ passing game has been more horizontal than vertical through most of the 2020 season — through the first four weeks, Kyler Murray attempted just 15 passes of 20 or more air yards, completing five for 172 yards and a touchdown. Against the Jets (yeah, we know) in a 30-10 Sunday win, Murray flipped the script with four deep completions on five attempts for 130 yards and a touchdown. With the Cowboys and their Swiss cheese pass defense up next, it would be wise for Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury to continue to air it out at a higher rate.
The Cardinals started the season with two wins and cracked the top 10. After two straight losses, they tumbled to No. 17. Their win over a winless Jets team apparently was not enough to improve their status.
Quarterback Kyler Murray passed for a career-high 380 yards and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week as a result.
Arizona now faces the Dallas Cowboys, who lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to an ankle fracture. They beat the New York Giants 37-34 in Week 5 and now rank 21st in Farrar’s power rankings.
The Cowboys and Cardinals play on Monday night in Dallas.
As for the rest of the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers fell eight spots to No. 20 after a 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Los Angeles Rams held at No. 7 and the Seattle Seahawks moved all the way up to No. 1 from No. 5.
Arizona will host the Seahawks in Week 7.
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