The Arizona Cardinals managed only to tie the Detroit Lions in their season opener but that did propel them upward in USA TODAY’s newest power rankings. They entered Week 1 ranked 29th overall and moved up to No. 26.
The Cardinals were dreadful offensively for the first three quarters but then turned it on with an 18-point fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime.
However, their play late in the game wasn’t enough to ease all the concerns surrounding the team.
More worrisome than QB Kyler Murray’s struggles Sunday was the amount of punishment he took. Maybe he can run this offense, but can he survive it?
Murray was sacked five times but at least two of those were possibly rushing attempts he gave up instead of throwing the ball away.
The Cardinals’ next opponent, the Baltimore Ravens, is ranked fifth in this week’s power rankings.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
