What NFL Experts Say: Cardinals Surge in Week 7 Power Rankings

Across the world of NFL power rankings, the Arizona Cardinals got some massive respect after their upset win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Just when many were ready to give up on Arizona, they managed to shock the world — and climbed practically every NFL power ranking list ahead of Week 7 in the process:

Sports Illustrated: 22 (29 last week)

Conor Orr: "Nick Rallis joined the legion of defensive coordinators who have felt the absolute power and joy of blitzing with reckless abandon. This one happened to net the Cardinals one of the most shocking upsets of the season."

The Athletic: 24 (29 last week)

Josh Kendall/Chad Graff on Trey McBride: "The Cardinals tight end is in an unfamiliar spot, third at his position in fantasy scoring (17.2 ppg), but he’s still pacing an Arizona team that is pretty frustrating in every other aspect for fantasy managers. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love has been a disappointment so far (10.2 ppg), and Michael Wilson has yet to have a 100-yard receiving game."

NFL.com: 22 (31 last week)

Nick Shook: "Perhaps the Cardinals should just become the third tenant at SoFi Stadium. It’s where they play their best football. For a second time this season, Arizona rolled into Inglewood and punched the home team in the mouth, defeating the Rams despite not scoring a touchdown, playing without its starting running back and leaning on a receiving corps that no longer includes Marvin Harrison Jr. Arizona will remain a frustrating team for me to analyze on a weekly basis because of how games like these reveal its potential when I know it won’t perform at this level every week. When the Cardinals do, though, it’s a fun watch."

ESPN: 27 (29 last week)

Josh Weinfuss: "Sunday's win amplified the Cardinals' red zone issues. They were 0-for-5 in the red zone and are now ranked 27th in red zone efficiency. It almost cost them in Los Angeles, but six field goals saved the day. After the game, quarterback Jacoby Brissett and coach Mike LaFleur each said they need to look at the film of Sunday's game to identify the issues. LaFleur alluded to a solution. 'I know where we could have been better,' he said."

Pro Football Talk: 22 (29 last week)

Mike Florio: Maybe they should move to L.A.

Yahoo!: 24 (29 last week)

Frank Schwab: "Nick Rallis was under heat after the first five games. He has been Arizona's defensive coordinator since 2023, survived a head coaching change, and none of his defenses have ranked better than 21st in yards allowed. A slow start to the season with new head coach Mike LaFleur had people wondering if Rallis was close to being replaced.

"Rallis bought himself some time. The Cardinals had a shocking win Sunday led by their defense, which held the Rams under 300 yards and to 16 points. The Cardinals kept the pressure on Matthew Stafford and forced him and the Rams' offense into a poor game. That relieves a lot of pressure, and provides hope this season."

Bleacher Report: 26 (29 last week)

Staff: "The Arizona Cardinals have looked like one of the league's worst teams over the past few weeks, but they stopped their four-game skid with an unexpected road win over the Los Angeles Rams.

"The fact that Arizona pulled off the upset without star rookie running back Jeremiyah Love and after trading away wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. should catch the attention of future opponents. The Cardinals might not be a great team overall, but they have a collection of offensive skill players that can at least keep games interesting."

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