Cardinals Still Last in NFL Power Rankings

The Arizona Cardinals nearly pulled off the upset in Week 1 but fell short in their 20-16 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Despite the effort, the Cardinals are still at dead-last in nearly every batch of power rankings released heading into Week 2:

NFL.com: 32

"Defensively, the Cardinals did everything one could have hoped for in the loss to Washington, holding the Commanders to 248 yards and a 4-of-12 conversion rate on third downs, forcing three turnovers and sacking Sam Howell six times. But it wasn't enough, as the offense -- creative as it might have been -- just couldn't sustain drives with placeholder QB Joshua Dobbs. Arizona tried throwing the kitchen sink at Washington with a Hollywood Brown end-around, a Rondale Moore wheel route and a flurry of formations and personnel groupings. And the offense totaled 210 yards and 13 first downs. Penalties also killed the Cardinals in all three phases. If Arizona wants to try to win games with good defense and not much offense, it can't be flagged nine times for 122 yards next week -- or any week."

CBS Sports: 32

"They competed against Washington, which is a good sign. They had their chances to win, which might mean the tank talk is a bit premature."

NBC Sports: 32

"They almost threw an early wrench in their low-key tank."

ESPN: 32

"The Cardinals have a new defensive coordinator and his unit showed out Sunday against the Commanders with a solid performance, but it ultimately ran out of gas by the end of the game after six sacks by five different players. Arizona's defense, which has four new faces, didn't seem to have any issue dealing with the transition to a new defensive coordinator. Its front seven was impressive, running five or more defensive backs on 48 of its 65 defensive plays."

Bleacher Report: 32

"Given that the Arizona Cardinals acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs only a few weeks ago, there were a handful of positives in Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders.

"The Cardinals stayed in this game until the end, which is a testament to their defense. But Dobbs threw for a pitiful 132 yards, while the Cardinals averaged only 3.8 yards per carry on the ground, had 210 total yards and converted only four of 14 third-down tries.

"The reality is that Arizona's offense is short on firepower, the offensive line isn't great, and Dobbs is a so-so backup on a good day. It's hard to see where wins are going to come from.

"If the Cardinals are 1-7 halfway into the regular season, they'll have to decide whether putting Kyler Murray out there once he's healthy enough to play is really the wisest course of action."