The Cardinals — yes, the Cardinals — are 3-2 and tied for second in the powerhouse NFC West headed into Week 6, but you won’t find them crowing about it.
Not with the memories of last year’s crash-and-burn still so fresh.
In case you’ve forgotten — which is so very easy to do with this franchise — Arizona got off to a 4-0 start in 2012 that included a stunning victory in Foxborough over Tom Brady’s Patriots.
But the unbeaten beginning turned out to be a desert mirage as the Cardinals — thanks in large part to a rotating cast of quarterbacks — dropped 11 of their last 12. “Limping to the finish” doesn’t even begin to describe the cratering that cost coach Ken Whisenhunt and GM Rod Graves their jobs.
It looked to be more of the same even with Bruce Arians in at coach and Carson Palmer at quarterback when the Cardinals opened 1-2 this year. But ever so quietly, the Cardinals have rebounded with back-to-back wins over the Buccaneers and Panthers to pull just one game back of Seattle in the West and improve to 16th in The Post’s NFL Power Rankings.
What’s difficult is figuring out how the Cardinals have done it. They have been outscored on the season, their offense is 30th in the league in yards, Palmer has thrown nine interceptions to just five TD passes, the defense is middling and they’re even in turnover differential.
Not exactly the blueprint of a champion, but it’s worked out well so far. Then again, division games against the 49ers and Seahawks the next two weeks will tell a lot.
(Last week’s ranking is in parentheses)
1. Broncos (1): Peyton remains out of this world, but about that defense …
2. Saints (4): Lost in the Drew Brees hype is a Rob Ryan defense that has forced at least one turnover every game and given up 400-plus yards just once.
3. Colts (5): Andrew Luck is making the fans in Indy forget all about that other quarterback that came before.
4. Seahawks (2): No shame in a close road loss to a young Colts team that’s on the rise.
5. Chiefs (6): Andy Reid’s team is the first in the NFL history to start 5-0 the year after losing at least 14 games.
6. 49ers (11): They’re righting the ship after a 1-2 start, but Colin Kaepernick’s sophomore slump remains a head-scratcher.
7. Bengals (12): While holding Tom Brady without a TD pass for the first time since the Eisenhower Administration was impressive, Cincy remains a roller coaster.
8. Packers (13): The Clay Matthews injury is going to be felt by a lot more than just Clay Matthews.
9. Patriots (3): A desperate Patriots Nation turns its lonely eyes to you, Mr. Gronkowski.
10. Ravens (14): Tied for first in the AFC North despite a minus-four turnover margin. Go figure.
11. Titans (7): The Bills could have told you this would happen when you start Ryan Fitzpatrick.
12. Lions (8): Way to show you’re not a one-man team, Detroit.
13. Bears (9): The wheels are looking more than a little shaky on the Marc Trestman feel-good bandwagon.
14. Jets (20): John Idzik’s first draft as GM already looks like a gold mine.
15. Browns (19): With Brian Hoyer done for the year and Josh Gordon on the block, Browns fans should enjoy this view while they can.
16. Cardinals (18): Did you know they were 3-2 and tied for second in the NFC West? Me neither.
17. Dolphins (10): With Miami on pace to allow an NFL-record 77 sacks, Ryan Tannehill spent Monday polishing up his last will and testament.
18. Eagles (24): Having to come from behind to beat a horrible Giants team only stopped the bleeding.
19. Cowboys (17): Tony Romo demands to know how Geno Smith executed his game-winning field-goal drive without a fumble or a pick-6.
20. Texans (15): The T.J. Yates Era begins, as could the end for both Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak.
21. Chargers (16): They’re just happy no one was awake on the East Coast to see that five-turnover debacle in Oakland.
22. Rams (25): A home victory over the Jaguars taught us absolutely nothing about your team, Jeff Fisher.
23. Raiders (31): Still a confounding team, but the quarterback is a keeper.
24. Falcons (23): This team is so far removed from the one that went to the NFC title game last year, it feels like Steve Bartkowski must have been the quarterback.
25. Bills (21): Welp, this season was sort of fun while it lasted.
26. Redskins (26): A 1-3 record still leaves them firmly in the division hunt. LOL, NFC East.
27. Vikings (27): How many backup quarterbacks can one team sign?
28. Panthers (22): Ron Rivera’s only request when he gets fired is Jerry Richardson doesn’t give him the Lane Kiffin treatment.
29. Steelers (29): How ‘bout those Pirates!
30. Buccaneers (28): Falling two spots during a bye week can happen when you cut your starting quarterback.
31. Giants (30): It’s getting harder and harder to believe this team won a Super Bowl just 20 months ago.
32. Jaguars (32): They’re thinking about asking the Broncos to play with a running clock this Sunday.