Week 12 Power Rankings: Where Cardinals Land After Bye

The Arizona Cardinals enjoyed their Sunday away from football but are back ready to work.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) breaks a tackle by New York Jets safety Jalen Mills (35) after a catch during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 10, 2024. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals enjoyed their bye week this past Sunday, but are ready to work as the second half of their season awaits.

It's been an eye-opening start to the year for Jonathan Gannon's squad, who currently pace the NFC West with a 6-4 record.

With postseason dreams on the doorstep of becoming reality, the Cardinals sit fairly high in national Week 12 power rankings:

USA Today: No. 10

Nate Davis: "The NFC West leaders come out of their bye with a one-game divisional lead but two of their next three contests against Seattle, which has beaten the Cards in five straight."

ESPN: No. 11

Josh Weinfuss on Dennis Gardeck's hot seat: "Gardeck's temperature is a little more than hot, but his situation is complicated since he is out for the season with a torn ACL. He is in the final year of his contract and will be rehabbing, so his status for next season is unknown at this point. He could be back by June or even later, which likely would leave him as a free agent until he's healthy."

Yahoo!: No. 9

Frank Schwab: "Rookie first-round pick Darius Robinson is back to practice and could make his NFL debut on Sunday. That would be a huge boost to the Cardinals’ defensive line. It could help Arizona maintain its surprising level on defense the rest of the season.

The Athletic: No. 13

Josh Kendall: "After a 2-4 start, Arizona has won four straight games, and Jonathan Gannon has the Cardinals as the most surprising division leader of the season. Gannon took over an organization that had had one winning season in the previous seven years. These Cardinals are in the top half of the league in scoring (23.8 ppg), scoring defense (22 ppg allowed) and point differential (18)."

Bleacher Report: No. 12

Gary Davenport: "No one gave a lot of thought to the Cardinals as a legitimate playoff contender this year, but that has to change now. Murray is playing at an elite level. The Cardinals are playing surprisingly well in the trenches on both sides of the ball, too.

In a division where consistency has been hard to come by this season, the Cardinals are currently the most consistent team in the NFC West

Pro Football Talk: No. 10

Mike Florio: "Best evidence that Cardinals are legit? When they were on their bye, I missed them."

The Cardinals face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12.