NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Rams face plenty of pressure following bye week

22. Arizona Cardinals (22)

The good news for the Arizona Cardinals is as painful as it was to come up just short against the San Francisco 49ers, this loss can still be viewed as a huge confidence boost for the team moving forward over the next two months.

After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, the Cardinals seemed to be in great position to start Week 9 off with an upset, and it’s difficult not to wonder what could have been if Arizona performed better during the second and third quarter.

Still, for a team that many expected to experience another year of rebuilding while focusing on Kyler Murray’s development, the Cardinals continue to have plenty to be excited about when seeing how competitive they looked against the 49ers.

Earning a trip to the playoffs may sound like an absolute long shot for Arizona, but if this season is any indication of what the future holds, this team could take a major leap to become legitimate contender as soon as 2020.

Most importantly, Murray continues to look like the much better option at quarterback over Josh Rosen, showing the Cardinals made the right decision last spring when they decided to take the Oklahoma product with the top overall pick.