By admin 
The Arizona Cardinals’ weekend started with a trade and ended with a blowout. Marvin Harrison Jr. was inactive for Sunday vs. the Lions while the deal sending him to the Houston Texans was finalized, and Detroit left State Farm Stadium with a 45-21 win.
Read more Who went home on ‘DWTS’ Week 5?
Arizona scored first on a Jacoby Brissett touchdown pass to Teagan Quitoriano, then watched the Lions score 31 straight points. Brissett finished 29 of 47 for 292 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception, and the Cardinals fell to 1-4 with their ninth straight home loss.
How far the Cardinals fell depends on who’s doing the ranking. Fox Sports dropped them three spots, CBS Sports and Pro Football Talk dropped them two each, and ESPN held them at No. 29. They now land anywhere from No. 27 to No. 30.
Fox Sports
This week’s ranking: 30
Last week’s ranking: 27
Ralph Vacchiano was the harshest of the group. He sees a promising young roster without a quarterback or enough overall talent, and he noted the Cardinals are 2-18 over their last 20 games going back to last season.
Vacchiano stopped short of calling the Harrison deal a white flag, but he read it as a sign that the front office cares more about next season. Arizona now holds an extra 2027 second-round pick from Houston, and Vacchiano would be surprised if the Cardinals win more than one game before their Week 14 bye.
CBS Sports
This week’s ranking: 27
Last week’s ranking: 25
Pete Prisco still has the Cardinals higher than anyone else, even after a two-spot drop. That isn’t much of an endorsement. He called the defense a mess and said the offense doesn’t do enough.
Read more Are there enough custodians for DGS-managed California state office buildings?
Prisco also thinks Arizona eventually has to turn to rookie Carson Beck at quarterback. Head coach Mike LaFleur defended Brissett before the Lions game and addressed the growing conversation about a change, but Brissett is now 2-15 as a starter since replacing Kyler Murray last season.
Pro Football Talk
This week’s ranking: 29
Last week’s ranking: 27
Mike Florio pointed back to the only win. “The Week 1 win over the Chargers becomes less impressive by the week,” he wrote. The Chargers are 0-5 and sit one spot below the Cardinals on his list.
ESPN
This week’s ranking: 29
Last week’s ranking: 29
ESPN’s panel left the Cardinals where they were. Josh Weinfuss picked pass defense as their biggest problem, though he admitted the whole defense would have been a fair answer. Arizona is allowing a league-high 32.4 points per game and a league-worst 8.5 net yards per pass attempt, per ESPN.
Opposing quarterbacks are also throwing touchdown passes on 10.1% of their attempts, the highest rate in the NFL. The unit had already given up 117 points in four games before Detroit added 45 more.
It doesn’t get easier. The Cardinals visit the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, their first game without Harrison on the roster.
Read more What Happened to Tavien St. Clair? Ohio State Has a Major Quarterback Question
More on the Arizona Cardinals
- Cardinals Stick With Nick Rallis Despite 142 Points in 4 Games
- Cardinals’ $76 Million Edge Rusher Could Be Just What the Cowboys Need to Turn Season Around
- Will the Cardinals Add a Receiver After Trading Marvin Harrison Jr.? Who Steps Up Now
- Where Do the Cardinals Pick in the 2027 NFL Draft After Trading Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 4:30 AM.