The Arizona Cardinals clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 thanks to losses by the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, but they themselves lost their third straight game, a 22-16 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts.
Not only did the Colts beat them in the game on Christmas night, in Touchdown Wire’s new power rankings from Nick Wojton, they also moved ahead of the Cardinals.
The Cardinals fell from No. 5 to No. 7, while the Colts went from No. 8 to No. 6.
It wasn’t quite a loss to the Lions like last week, but the Cardinals are now reeling following back-to-back losses. The Colts topped them 22-16. Arizona let some ugly plays get in the way like missed kicks and safeties vs. Indy.
It isn’t just back-to-back losses. They have lost three in a row and, what looks worse, is that they are 0-5 in games where they could clinch a playoff spot with a win over the last two seasons. They appear to be fading late in the season like last year.
They are dealing with injuries and with positive tests for COVID-19. They did not have their best offensive lineman, center Rodney Hudson, the last two games because of COVID protocols and their kicking issues were mainly because of having to use a different holder because punter Andy Lee landed on the COVID list three days before the game.
If they make those kicks, they beat the Colts.
They have two games remaining to get things right and potentially still win the NFC West. However, they look like a team that is a little lost right now.
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