Cardinals Again Finish Low in Week 16 NFL Power Rankings
The Arizona Cardinals again failed to secure a victory on a football Sunday, marking the fourth consecutive loss for the team while also securing postseason elimination.
A tumultuous season continued to worsen when quarterback Colt McCoy fell victim to a concussion in the third quarter. Trace McSorley is expected to start this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Merry Christmas Cardinals fans!
Arizona's placement in Week 16 power rankings was, as expected, lowly:
ESPN: No. 30
Week 15 ranking: 27
Pleasant surprise: LB Myjai Sanders
"The 2022 third-round pick hasn't experienced the rookie learning curve others in his class have. Sanders has three sacks and four pass breakups in 160 defensive snaps. He has started two of the past three games, a sign of his growth and the growing trust in him by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. -- Josh Weinfuss"
The Ringer: No. 28
"The Cardinals are in a dark place with no clear path out of irrelevance. Kyler Murray is going to undergo ACL and meniscus surgery that could prevent him from returning healthy in time for the start of next season, and there’s real doubt, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, that general manager Steve Keim returns after his leave of absence. It’s going to get worse before it gets better in Arizona."
NFL.com: No. 30
"After the week from hell -- one in which Kyler Murray tore his ACL and general manager Steve Keim abruptly left the team to attend to personal matters -- it was perhaps encouraging to watch Kliff Kingsbury's group deliver a professional effort in a 24-15 loss to the Broncos. The defense was led by J.J. Watt, who had three of Arizona's seven sacks of Denver backup Brett Rypien. The 33-year-old Watt isn't the all-world game-wrecker he was during his prime in Houston, but he remains a disruptive force who's now just one half sack away from cracking double digits in that category for the first time since 2018. Canton awaits for Justin James."
Bleacher Report: No. 27
"After yet another dispiriting defeat gave the Cardinals back-to-back double-digit losses, Watt told reporters that the 2022 season has been a hard pill to swallow.
"'It sucks,' Watt said. 'You're playing for the future, and it's a [expletive] place to be with three games left. But that's what it is.'
"Head coach Kliff Kingsbury tried to put a positive spin on things.
"'They continue to show up and play hard,' he said. 'That's all you can ask.'
"Of course, there's not that much more that Kingsbury can say. Given how poorly the team has performed this year, it's fair to wonder if the extensions signed by Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim are the only things keeping the duo employed.
"After Keim stepped away from the team because of health reasons, it's fair to wonder if that housecleaning isn't coming anyway."
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