John McTigue, Stats & Information 9y

Power rankings: Cardinals at 5, somehow

Tom Gannam/AP Photo

Ryan Lindley is the latest starting QB for the Cardinals, whose record defies their play.

The Arizona Cardinals are 11-3, share the best record in the NFL (with the Broncos and Patriots), are the only NFC team to have clinched a playoff berth and sit at No. 5 in the weekly ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings.

An argument could be made that their résumé is deserving of an even higher spot in the rankings. An argument could also be made that with two injured quarterbacks and less-than-dominant play, the Cardinals should be ranked lower.

How good are the Cardinals?

Quarterback situation

The Cardinals were 6-0 this season with Carson Palmer starting at quarterback. They were 5-3 with backup Drew Stanton under center. With both hurt, the team is turning to Ryan Lindley, who last started a game nearly two years ago (Dec. 23, 2012).

Stanton posted a 58.0 Total QBR this season (15th in the NFL) to keep the Cardinals in contention. Lindley might not be able to replicate that success, though.

Since entering the NFL in 2012, Lindley ranks last in Total QBR (9.1) among the 60 quarterbacks with 150 passes. Lindley has thrown 181 passes in his career, and none have gone for a touchdown. According to Elias, that’s the most passes without a touchdown in NFL history (next highest: Mike Kruczek, 154 passes).

Behind Lindley is rookie Logan Thomas, who saw action in a blowout loss to the Broncos. He was sacked on his first two dropbacks and then was 1-of-8 passing. The one completion, however, was an 81-yard touchdown pass.

Winning close and winning late

Win probability is a measure of a team’s chances of winning based on the game scenario, factoring in score, time left, field position and down and distance among others.

The Cardinals have an average in-game win probability of 51.8 percent this season, which is 15th in the NFL and puts them on par with 7-7 teams such as the Dolphins (52.0 percent) and Texans (51.4 percent).

Despite not controlling games at the same level as the other top teams in the NFL, the Cardinals have come through in close games. The Cardinals are 5-0 in games decided by eight or fewer points, best in the NFL.

The Cardinals’ defense has keyed the team’s performance late in games. The Cardinals have forced an NFL-high 14 takeaways in the fourth quarter this season and are holding opponents to a field goal (3.1 PPG) in the fourth, also best in the NFL.

The good, the bad and the lucky

The Cardinals’ defense as a whole has been strong all season. The Cardinals rank third in points allowed, making impacts on the passing and rushing game. They have the fourth-most interceptions this season and rank sixth in yards per rush allowed. That’s the good.

The bad is the offense, which has produced two touchdowns in the last four games. Only the Raiders (56.6 percent) have punted on a higher percentage of drives than the Cardinals (54.5 percent) over the last four weeks.

And although luck can’t be quantified, the Cardinals have had some bounces go their way. The Cardinals have recovered 10 of their 15 fumbles on offense and seven of 12 fumbles on defense. Overall the Cardinals have recovered 63 percent of fumbles in their games this season, highest in the NFL.

Sharon Katz of the Stats & Information Group contributed to this article.

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