Category: Rankings

Patrick Peterson named No. 2 CB of decade by PFT

He is behind only Richard Sherman.

We come to to the close of the 2010s and the natural thing to do is to come up with lists and rankings of the best of the decade. Pro Football Talk has done that with the different positions in the NFL.

On Tuesday came the list of the top 10 cornerbacks of the decade.

Patrick Peterson has to be on the list, right?

He is, but he isn’t No. 1.

He comes in at No. 2 behind Richard Sherman.

If any of the 24 cornerbacks drafted before Sherman in 2011 has made a case for being the right choice, it is Peterson. He’s a two-time first-team All-Pro as a cornerback — he was named once as a returner as well — and has notched 25 interceptions since entering the league. Peterson returned from this year’s six-game suspension to show that he’s still capable of playing at a high level.

In the middle of the decade, the debate was heated as to whether Sherman or Peterson was better. There were and are arguments on both sides.

Sherman has been on better defenses and has had seasons with more picks.

Many will argue that Peterson should be at the top of this list. One could certainly make the case. However, both Sherman and Peterson deserve to be at the top because of the high level of play for nearly the entire decade.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 252:

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Ep. 251:

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Cardinals leap forward 10 spots in new USA TODAY power rankings

They move up to no. 18 after snapping their six-game losing streak.

The Arizona Cardinals finally won a game. They snapped a six-game losing streak and defeated the Cleveland Browns 38-24. As a result, they saw a big jump in their status in new power rankings for Week 16.

In USA TODAY’s new power rankings by Nate Davis, the Cardinals moved up 10 spots into the top 20, coming in at No. 18.

This comes after Kenyan Drake dominated against the Browns, rushing for 137 yards and four touchdowns, the most touchdown runs nu a game for the Cardinals since 1993.

Writes Davis:

Remains to be seen if trade for Kenyan Drake ultimately helps anyone other than Kenyan Drake, who’s heading into free agency with full head of steam.

The Cardinals close out the season with road games against the Rams and the Seahawks. The Rams rank 15th this week, while the Seahawks moved into the top five, coming in at No. 3.

This is as high as the Cardinals have been all season. Unless they can sneak a win in the final two, it is probably as high as they will finish.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 251:

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Ep. 250:

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Pound-for-pound: No. 2 Terence Crawford retains his ranking

Terence Crawford rallied from early trouble to stop Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the ninth round Saturday in New York City.

Terence Crawford met with tougher resistance from Egidijus Kavaliauskas than anyone expected Saturday in New York City. And, in the end, that was fortunate for him.

Kavaliauskas’ success – including what appeared to be a knockdown in the third round that the referee missed – early in their welterweight title fight made Crawford’s knockout 44 seconds into the ninth round all the more spectacular.

And, in the end, Boxing Junkie’s No. 2 fighter certainly didn’t hurt his pound-for-pound status. In fact, he might’ve enhanced it.

“Crawford helped himself,” said Boxing Junkie staffer Norm Frauenheim. “He dealt with adversity not often seen in his unbeaten career. He got rocked in the third round, literally holding on in what should have been ruled a knockdown. There is no bigger test of a fighter than exactly that moment.

“He thought and fought through the adversity, eventually taking control and finishing the fight with a beautiful sequence of three punches, each delivered with lethal precision.”

Said Sean Nam, another staff writer: “Crawford may be a tad slower in his reflexes, as evidenced by the way Kavaliauskas buckled him ever so briefly in that third round, but the image that persists is how Crawford dismantled his game opponent down the stretch, leaving no doubt as to who was in charge. For that, I think Crawford should retain his spot.”

The Boxing Junkie staff agreed that Crawford’s rousing victory allows him to hold his No. 2 position … but that’s it. We didn’t feel a victory over Kavaliauskas was enough to threaten No. 1 Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Kavaliauskas, a two-time Olympian from Lithuania, obviously is a good fighter but he doesn’t have the professional track record to vault Crawford to the top.

A lot could change in 2020 if either or both of two fights take place. Lomachenko seems to be on track to face new lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez early next year. And Crawford and Shawn Porter have expressed interest in fighting one another.

The results of those fights could give the top of the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list a different look.

Check out our Top 15 list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams

Cardinals move up a spot in new power rankings despite loss to Steelers

The competitive loss moves them up to No. 28 overall.

The Arizona Cardinals lost to a playoff-contending Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and were competitive. Quarterback Kyler Murray believes they should have won the game.

Nonetheless, it was their sixth loss in a row.

Despite the loss and losing streak, the Cardinals still managed to climb USA TODAY’s newest power rankings for Week 15.

They moved up from 29th to 28th this week, swapping spots with the Detroit Lions, who have an identical 3-9-1 record.

The Cardinals have the Cleveland Browns next, who come in at No. 19 on this list.

Sunday’s Kyler Murray-Baker Mayfield matchup means little in grand scheme, but maybe it will settle some debates in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Cardinals are, according to the 2020 draft order, the sixth-worst team in the league. These rankings say they are the fifth-worst. That isn’t too much of a discrepancy to argue too much about.

As for the rest of the NFC West, the L.A. Rams come in at No. 13, the Seattle Seahawks dropped to No. 6 and the San Francisco 49ers move up to second overall.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Cardinals move up a spot in USA TODAY power rankings after bye week

The NFC West has two top-five teams and three top-15 teams.

The Arizona Cardinals did not play on Sunday because it was their bye week. However, even without playing, they managed to move up in USA TODAY’s latest power rankings.

They moved up one place, from No. 25 to No. 24 overall.

This week, Chandler Jones’ production is brought up.

Chandler Jones on track to lead league in sacks for second time in three seasons, yet does anybody give him acclaim he clearly deserves?

No, Jones does not get the praise he deserves but the Cardinals haven’t played well enough for him to get attention. And because he normally is consistent about getting one sack a game, that isn’t super flashy. It is consistent but it isn’t flashy.

As for the team, their ranking is fair. They are behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who beat the Cardinals and has won four games this season. The Cardinals are still ahead of the three teams they have beaten and the one they tied with.

What about the rest of the NFC West?

With their loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the 6-5 Los Angeles Rams fell from 11th to 14th overall. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks are No. 5 and the San Francisco 49ers are No 3.

No other division has two top-five teams or three top-15 teams.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Cardinals drop 2 spots in new USA TODAY power rankings

They enter the bye week ranked no. 25. It is completely fair.

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The Arizona Cardinals lost their fourth straight game on Sunday, falling 36-26 to the San Francisco 49ers and dropping their season record to 3-7-1. with the beginning of Week 12, they enter their bye week a little lower in USA TODAY’s power rankings than they were in Week 11.

This week, they fell two spots to No. 25.

Per Next Gen Stats, Kyler Murray’s average “Air Yards to the Sticks” is minus-2.1. Yep, you’ve got much to learn … about AYTS and whatever significance it has.

It would appear that the stat is being downplayed because Murray has really been fantastic this season. He is up to 14 touchdown passes to only five interceptions. He has 418 rushing yards. He has led them to score at least 25 points in six of the last seven games. He has come off the field late in the fourth quarter or overtime with a lead six times. The team has blown leads in three of those games.

25th is completely fair in terms of the team, though.

What about the rest of the NFC West?

The Los Angeles Rams are 11th this week. The Seattle Seahawks are up a spot to No. 4. The San Francisco 49ers are fifth.

It’s a tough division to be in when you want to rebuild.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Power rankings: Loss to Bucs drops Cardinals a pair of spots

They have allowed over 25 points every game this season.

The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 10 having risen in weekly power rankings despite losing two in a row. That did not continue with a third consecutive loss.

After falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27 Sunday afternoon, they dropped a pair of spots in the new USA TODAY power rankings.

The Cardinals were up to No. 21 but fell to No. 23.

Christian Kirk snagged three TD passes Sunday, matching output from his first 18 games. If he gets going, “Air Raid” could reach new level.

The offense seems to have hit its stride. They have scored at least 25 points in five of their last six games, despite still having issues on third down and in the red zone.

The problem is the defense isn’t stopping anyone. They have allowed over 25 points in every single game this season, including four games allowing at least 30.

The schedule gets tougher now with four of their final six games coming against NFC West opponents. Where they are now in these rankings might not change much.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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