Week 2 Consensus NFL Power Rankings: How Far Did Cardinals Jump After Win vs Chargers?

The Arizona Cardinals move into Week 2 with a nice jump across weekly NFL power rankings.

Sep 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are 1-0 after 60 minutes of football.

It was one of the more convincing wins in recent memory for Cardinals fans. Dominant? Not quite, though Arizona (on both sides of the ball) looked as good as they have in some time.

Now, the challenge of building that momentum comes in the form of a Week 2 test against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who will be without Sam Darnold this week.

Here’s where you’ll find the Cardinals across the latest Week 2 NFL power rankings:

ESPN: No. 24 (30 last week)

Josh Weinfuss: "The Cardinals' third WR threat and fourth receiving option had the second-best day Sunday, behind only TE Trey McBride . Bourne signed a two-year deal with Arizona in March and reunited with Mike LaFleur, who coached him in San Francisco from 2017 to 2020. It translated to Bourne catching all eight of his targets for 75 yards."

CBS: No. 24 (30 last week)

Pete Prisco: "Give new coach Mike LaFleur credit for pulling off the upset of the Chargers. Maybe this team will be better than expected."

SI.com: 26 (30 last week)

Conor Orr: "The Cardinals are the team of the opening weekend—the one that bucked a narrative that became so commonplace across the NFL that it cemented without a single person asking their permission. I think we all counted out Arizona because of the collective hype around the rest of the division. Because of this, we discounted the fact that the Cardinals actually have some decent players and aren’t going to be a pushover amid the March for Arch."

NFL.com: 19 (25 last week)

Nick Shook: "The upset of the week belongs to Arizona, a team most everyone counted out in the opener at Los Angeles. As it turns out, we were all wrong; Mike LaFleur's group played inspired, fearless football, taking the fight to the Chargers and outplaying them in every facet. Enjoy the triumphant debut, Cardinals fans."

The Athletic: 26 (31 last week)

Chad Graff/Josh Kendall: "Last week, it was hard to pick between the Cardinals and Dolphins for the last spot on this list. That’s how much we thought of the Cardinals, who proceeded to go out and beat the Chargers in a game they controlled throughout. Skepticism remains, but that was a promising start for coach Mike LaFleur."

Fox Sports: 25 (31 last week)

Ralph Vacchiano: "Where did that come from? The Cardinals shut down QB Justin Herbert and thoroughly beat a Chargers team some think is a sleeper Super Bowl contender. So much for predictions of an 0-13 start."

Yahoo!: 28 (31 last week)

Frank Schwab: "Arizona was eighth in EPA (expected points added) allowed per play through Sunday's Week 1 games. The Cardinals were projected to have one of the NFL's worst defenses this season, but that wasn't the case in the opener. A matchup against the Seahawks now looks more interesting."