2017 NFL Power Rankings: Where do Los Angeles Rams stand heading into Week 1 preseason?

20. Arizona Cardinals

Prior to the start of last season, the Arizona Cardinals were considered one of the early favorites in the NFC after reaching the conference championship the year before along with having plenty of talent on both sides of the football. Unfortunately, the Cardinals struggled to overcome a poor start, and didn’t even finish the year with a winning record, making them one of the biggest surprises from the 2016 season.

This time around, Arizona finds themselves in a similar situation where they look capable of being a serious contender on paper, but nothing matters until Carson Palmer and company prove it during the regular season. Palmer realizes he may only have another two or three good years at most before Father Time catches up with him, so the Cardinals need to take advantage of having a reliable quarterback on offense before the rebuilding mode begins down the road.

Along with Palmer and a strong receiving corps led by Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona has been fortunate enough to have one of the league’s top rising stars in David Johnson, as the running back has wasted no time emerging as one of the league’s top players. Seeing him be just as effective as a receiver shows how special of a player Johnson truly is, and don’t be surprised if his name is in the conversation for the MVP award towards the end of the season if the Cardinals return to their old dominant form.