| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Arizona Cardinals | -10.97 | 2-9 | 0.0% | 32 | 11 | -2 |
| 31 | Oakland Raiders | -9.8 | 2-9 | 0.0% | 25 | 31 | +1 |
| 30 | Miami Dolphins | -9.15 | 5-6 | 2.7% | 26 | 28 | +1 |
| 29 | New York Jets | -8.78 | 3-8 | 0.0% | 30 | 18 | 0 |
| 28 | San Francisco 49ers | -7.78 | 2-9 | 0.0% | 28 | 23 | -2 |
| 27 | Detroit Lions | -5.75 | 4-7 | 0.6% | 17 | 30 | +1 |
| 26 | Buffalo Bills | -5.71 | 4-7 | 0.9% | 31 | 5 | +1 |
| 25 | New York Giants | -4.65 | 3-8 | 0.0% | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | -4.34 | 3-8 | 0.1% | 29 | 13 | -2 |
| 23 | Tennessee Titans | -3.88 | 5-6 | 8.4% | 21 | 20 | +1 |
The Arizona Cardinals fell into the bottom spot in our rankings this week and are emblematic of the importance of offense in today's game. The Cardinals boast a solid defense that is 11th in NEP and one that is also tied for 8th in yards allowed per play (5.4). Their offense has been so atrocious that it has hardly mattered.
Arizona is last in NEP, yards per play (4.3) and points per game (14.1), while also ranking 29th in turnovers per drive.
Poor play from rookie signal caller Josh Rosen has been one of the main culprits, as his 3.9 adjusted net yards per pass average is almost two standard deviations below the league average. This is the 15th-worst mark relative to average since the merger, among rookies with at least 200 pass attempts (ANY/A takes traditional net yards per dropback and adjusts it for interceptions and touchdowns).
While this is certainly troubling, it is hardly a death sentence either, as the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Donovan McNabb and Jared Goff were all worse relative to the mean as rookies.