Following an impressive, defensively-driven victory on Monday Night Football against the surging Los Angeles Chargers, the Arizona Cardinals moved up three spots in the NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 8.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!NFL.com’s Eric Edholm captured the importance of Arizona’s win, writing, “The Birds are back! Arizona gritted out a much-needed home victory over the Chargers after a wild series of plays early in the game had a surprisingly profound impact on the final outcome. Kyler Murray was picked on the opening drive off a tipped pass, but James Conner, that wily old badger, forced a fumble on the Chargers’ ensuing return, keeping the ball with the Cardinals.”
With the win, the Cardinals now sit just one game behind the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West—a position head coach Jonathan Gannon has to feel optimistic about, considering the strength of their early-season schedule.
Arizona’s competition has been stiff, with five of their seven opponents ranked inside the top 15 of the Power Rankings. The only exception? The Los Angeles Rams. This trend is set to shift in the Cardinals’ favor over the next few weeks, as they prepare to face the Miami Dolphins (ranked 25th), the Chicago Bears (ranked 11th), and the New York Jets (ranked 22nd) before heading into their bye week.
In fact, according to Tankathon, the Cardinals now boast the second-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.
Though some may not look at it as a positive, the Cardinals have managed a 3-4 record despite much action from their 4th overall pick of the 2024 draft, Marvin Harrison Jr., who, through seven games of his NFL career, has averaged less than 50 yards per game.
Instead, it has been veteran running back James Conner who has been the star of Arizona’s offense. Conner, an upcoming free agent, has already recorded four 100-yard games, including contributions in the receiving game. In Monday night’s win, he averaged an impressive 5.32 yards per carry and added 51 receiving yards, including a crucial play that set up the Cardinals’ game-winning field goal.
In Edholm’s Power Rankings, the top five teams are the Kansas City Chiefs at #1, Baltimore Ravens at #2, Detroit Lions at #3, Minnesota Vikings at #4, and Buffalo Bills at #5. The highest-ranked team from the NFC West is the Seattle Seahawks, who barely cracked the top 15 at #14.
