Arizona Cardinals apparently won't be very entertaining in 2025, according to NFL ranking
Many NFL analysts consider the Arizona Cardinals an NFL playoff contender this season, with some thinking that Kyler Murray and company could have a breakout year and perhaps even win the NFC West.
The team appears to be trending upward after some key NFL free agency signings and strong early reviews for its 2025 NFL Draft class.
But you apparently can't make everyone happy.
The 2025 Arizona Cardinals evidently won't be very "entertaining," according to one NFL writer.
Paste BN Sports recently ranked all 32 NFL teams for the upcoming season from most to least entertaining and the Cardinals were clear down at No. 23 in the ranking.
Cardinals evidently won't be much fun in 2025
Arizona's NFL team will apparently not be much fun this season, according to Paste BN Sports' Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, who wrote that the Cardinals "might be stuck in the middle of the pack."
He wrote: "Shouldn't a team with Kyler Murray, a rugged run game and some stellar options in the receiving corps be ranked higher? After a serious talent infusion on defense, maybe Arizona's breakout season will be just a year later than most expected. Still, until offensive coordinator Drew Petzing finds a way to utilize Marvin Harrison Jr. more creatively, this feels like a team that might be stuck in the middle of the pack in several respects."
Which NFL teams will be the most fun in 2025?
The Baltimore Ravens came in at No. 1 in the ranking as the most entertaining team for 2025, with the Buffalo Bills No. 2, the Philadelphia Eagles No. 3, the Detroit Lions No. 4 and the Kansas City Chiefs No. 5.
Of the Ravens, Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote: "With some good fortune in staying healthy, Baltimore could see things click in a way that will set it apart from much of the rest of the league."
Which NFL teams will be the least fun in 2025?
At least the Cardinals weren't No. 32 in the ranking. That ranking was given to the Cleveland Browns.
Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote of Cleveland: "A cringeworthy quarterback competition might be the only facet of the Browns worth wider attention. Once that gets settled over the summer, Cleveland will seemingly try to minimize its shortcomings behind center by emphasizing a ground-and-pound approach that might grow dull before the leaves turn. Having dealt away a shot at Travis Hunter to acquire an additional first-round pick in 2026, even the team itself seems to be letting everyone know to check back next year."
The New Orleans Saints (No. 31), New York Giants (No. 30), New York Jets (No. 29) and Indianapolis Colts (No. 28) rounded out the bottom five teams in the ranking.
Arizona Cardinals can prove ranking wrong
The Cardinals were ranked between the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 22) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 24) in the ranking.
Arizona has a lot of talent on the offensive and defensive sides of the football for the upcoming season and a real chance to make some noise in the NFC West.
A favorable early-season schedule (at New Orleans Saints, vs Carolina Panthers, at San Francisco 49ers, vs Seattle Seahawks, vs Tennessee Titans, at Indianapolis Colts in first six weeks) also gives the team a chance to get off to a hot start, perhaps even an "entertaining" start to the season.
Murray and company have the potential to prove this ranking very wrong and to become one of the "most fun" teams in the league in 2025.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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