4:25 PM ET, November 9,2014
U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Top Performers
Passing: C. Palmer (ARI) - 241 YDS, 1 INTRushing: T. Mason (STL) - 14 CAR, 48 YDS
Receiving: L. Fitzgerald (ARI) - 9 REC, 112 YDS
Associated Press
Palmer Carted Off As Cardinals Hold Off Rams
In a little under four minutes, backup quarterback Drew Stanton and the defense combined to score three touchdowns that rallied the Cardinals past the St. Louis Rams 31-14 Sunday and improved their record to an NFL-best 8-1.
Whether the Cardinals will need to try to keep winning minus Palmer was uncertain.
"We don't know anything about Carson's injury or the length, whatever it is yet," coach Bruce Arians said. "He will be evaluated and get an MRI and everything and we will know something by tomorrow and hopefully by Tuesday."
More from ESPN.com
With
quarterback Carson Palmer out, Drew Stanton and the defense stepped up.
That will have to continue if the Cardinals are to play into January,
writes Josh Weinfuss. Story
After
managing the game well for three quarters, Rams QB Austin Davis was
once again unable to avoid costly turnovers, writes Nick Wagoner. Story"Defensively, we hung in there while our offense really struggled," Arians said. "Then we got turnovers we are all use to seeing, playing the type of fourth quarter we are use to seeing."
On the first possession after Palmer was hurt, rookie John Brown's diving grab of Stanton's 48-yard touchdown pass put the Cardinals up 17-14 with 7:40 to play.
"That is what I am here for," Brown said. "That is why coach Bruce Arians brought me in for, to make big plays. They say big-time players step up in big-time games so I try to do the best I can when it is my time."
Palmer was taken to the locker room on a cart after being helped off the field.
It was the same left knee that he injured Jan. 8, 2006, in a playoff game against Pittsburgh, when he tore his ACL and MCL on his first pass of the game.
"I think there's a question mark there because nobody knows what his status is," Stanton said. "It's difficult because he is the leader of this team. ... We'll just continue to weather the storm, whatever it is."
Patrick Peterson got his first two interceptions of the season, returning the second one 30 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-14. Moments later, Austin Davis fumbled and Antonio Cromartie returned it 14 yards for a score as Arizona outscored the Rams 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
St. Louis (3-6) was shut out in the second half.
At 8-1, the Cardinals have their best record after nine games since going 11-1 as the Chicago Cardinals in 1948.
Palmer was playing some of the best football of his career and, on Friday, signed a three-year contract extension worth a reported $50 million with $20.5 million guaranteed.
On third down at the Rams 28, Palmer dropped back to pass, then tried to avoid blitzing safety Mark Barron. The quarterback's leg gave way and Barron touched Palmer for a sack.
Cardinals Defense Keeps It Simple
Although
the Cardinals have relied heavily on the blitz this season, they got
their biggest plays Sunday when sending four or fewer pass-rushers. Or Fewer Pass-Rushers Sunday
| Category | 1st 3 Qtrs | 4th Qtr |
|---|---|---|
| Comp-Att | 8-10 | 3-9 |
| Yds per att | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| Sacks | 1 | 2 |
| TD-INT | 1-0 | 0-2 |
| -- ESPN Stats & Information | ||
"Everyone has confidence in Drew," Arians said. "Nothing drops off."
On Peterson's second interception, the ball bounced off the hands of the Rams' Kenny Britt. Peterson caught it and raced to the end zone for the score. On St. Louis' next possession, Kareem Martin hit Davis and the ball came free as he tried to pass. Cromartie picked it up and ran in for the score to put Arizona up 31-14 with 3:58 to play.
Arizona has outscored opponents in the fourth quarter 91-34.
"I think we learned today that this game is four quarters long," St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said. "Three doesn't get it done for you."
The Rams pointed to a crucial penalty after a 41-yard pass to Jared Cook had put the ball on the Arizona 4-yard line late in the third quarter. But Lance Kendricks was called for a blindside block, a 15-yard penalty that pushed St. Louis back to the Cardinals 45. Calais Campbell's second sack of the game eventually pushed the Rams out of field goal range.
"I thought it was a clean hit," Kendricks said.
Cook got behind rookie Deone Bucannon for a 59-yard touchdown pass with 1:50 left to give St. Louis a 14-10 halftime lead.
The Cardinals had scored 10 in a row to take the lead when Chandler Catanzaro tied an NFL record with his 17th consecutive field goal. The streak ended when he missed a 53-yarder the play after Palmer was hurt.
Game notes
Arizona had six sacks after getting eight in its first eight games. ... The Cardinals have 14 interceptions and a plus-12 turnover ratio. ... St. Louis lost safety Lamarcus Joyner in the first half to a groin injury. ... Fitzgerald moved ahead of Keenan McCardell on the career receptions list and passed Michael Irvin for 24th in career yards receiving.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
Team Stat Comparison
STL
|
ARI
| |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 16 | 21 |
Passing 1st downs
| 9 | 18 |
Rushing 1st downs
| 5 | 3 |
1st downs from penalties
| 2 | 0 |
3rd down efficiency
| 1-10 | 6-15 |
4th down efficiency
| 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Total Plays | 58 | 66 |
| Total Yards | 244 | 335 |
| Yards per play | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Total Drives | 14 | 12 |
| Passing | 174 | 307 |
Comp-Att
| 17-30 | 28-41 |
Yards per pass
| 4.8 | 7.0 |
Interceptions thrown
| 2 | 1 |
Sacks-Yards Lost
| 6-42 | 3-19 |
| Rushing | 70 | 28 |
Rushing Attempts
| 22 | 22 |
Yards per rush
| 3.2 | 1.3 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Penalties | 8-80 | 5-35 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
Fumbles lost
| 1 | 0 |
Interceptions thrown
| 2 | 1 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 2 |
| Possession | 26:40 | 33:20 |
Rushing Leaders
| STL | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason | 14 | 48 | 3.4 | 0 | 16 |
| Cunningham | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 1 | 5 |
| ARI | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Ellington | 18 | 23 | 1.3 | 1 | 5 |
| Stanton | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 4 |
Receiving Leaders
| STL | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | 2 | 84 | 42.0 | 1 | 59 |
| Mason | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 0 | 14 |
| ARI | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Fitzgerald | 9 | 112 | 12.4 | 0 | 18 |
| Brown | 5 | 73 | 14.6 | 1 | 48 |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | STL | ARI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TD | 4:35 | Benjamin Cunningham 3 Yd Run (Greg Zuerlein Kick)
Drive info: 7 plays, 62 yds, 4:12
| 7 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | STL | ARI | |||
 | TD | 11:33 | Andre Ellington 3 Yd Run (Chandler Catanzaro Kick)
Drive info: 8 plays, 66 yds, 3:41
| 7 | 7 |
| FG | 4:52 | Chandler Catanzaro 43 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 11 plays, 36 yds, 4:29
| 7 | 10 |
| TD | 1:50 | Jared Cook 59 Yd pass from Austin Davis (Greg Zuerlein Kick)
Drive info: 5 plays, 80 yds, 3:02
| 14 | 10 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | STL | ARI | |||
| TD | 7:40 | John Brown 48 Yd pass from Drew Stanton (Chandler Catanzaro Kick)
Drive info: 4 plays, 89 yds, 2:05
| 14 | 17 |
| TD | 5:13 | Patrick Peterson 30 Yd Interception Return (Chandler Catanzaro Kick)
Drive info: 3 plays, 13 yds, 1:18
| 14 | 24 |
| TD | 3:58 | Antonio Cromartie 14 Yd Fumble Return (Chandler Catanzaro Kick)
Drive info: 3 plays, -10 yds, 1:15
| 14 | 31 |
Research Notes
Carson Palmer
was pressured 14 times Sunday, or 35% of his dropbacks. Both totals
were the highest of the season for Palmer. Palmer was 6-of-11 for 59
yards and an interception when under duress Sunday.
|
Although
the Cardinals have relied heavily on the blitz this season, they got
their biggest plays Sunday when sending 4 or fewer pass rushers.
[+] |
The
Cardinals outscored the Rams 21-0 in the 4th quarter Sunday. They had
the 2nd-best 4th-quarter point differential entering the game (+36).
What were the keys?
- Drew Stanton threw a 48-yard go-ahead pass TD following Carson Palmer's injury Sunday. Stanton's pass was caught by John Brown
48 yards past the line of scrimmage. Stanton was just 5-of-21 with 1 TD
in his career on passes thrown 30+ yards downfield entering Sunday,
including 2-of-10 this season.
- John Brown had just 1 reception on 5 targets 30+ yards downfield this
season entering the game, with the lone catch proving to be the
game-winner against the Eagles. Brown now has 5 receiving TD this
season, all of which have come in the 2nd half. He has 3 game-winning TD
in the 4th quarter this season.
- The Cardinals recorded 2 defensive TD 84 seconds apart Sunday. They
had only 1 defensive TD all season entering the game and only 1 team
(Dolphins in Week 8) had multiple defensive TD in a game this season.
- The 1st defensive TD was off an Austin Davis interception by Patrick Peterson,
the 1st defensive TD of his career. Davis has thrown 4 interceptions
that were returned for TD this season, tied for most in the NFL (Blake Bortles). All 4 were in the 4th quarter.
|
Austin Davis had a 4th quarter interception returned for a TD by Patrick Peterson.
It was Davis' 4th pick-6 this season, which ties him for most in the NFL with Blake Bortles. All 4 have come in the 4th quarter.
|
The
Cardinals have scored 8 TD on their last 9 red zone drives. They had
scored 5 TD on their first 15 red zone drives of the season.
|
Patrick Peterson
recorded his first 2 interceptions of the season in the 4th quarter
Sunday. His interception returned for a TD was the first defensive TD of
Peterson's career (4 punt return TD).
|
The Cardinals recorded 2 defensive TD 84 seconds apart in the 4th quarter Sunday...
The Cardinals had only 1 defensive TD this season entering Week 10.
Only 1 other team had recorded 2 defensive TD in a game this season entering Week 10 (Dolphins in Week 8 vs Jaguars).
|
Carson
Palmers threw an interception in the red zone in the 3rd quarter
Sunday, his first red zone interception of the season. Palmer led the
NFL with 4 red zone interceptions last season.
Entering the week, the Cardinals had scored (TD or FG) on 22 of their 23
red zone drives (95.7%), the 2nd-highest percentage in the NFL.
|
John Brown's 5th TD reception of the season put the Cardinals up 17-14 in the 4th quarter.
All 5 of Brown's TD receptions have come in the 2nd half this season, including 3 in the 4th quarter.
Drew Stanton
has thrown all 3 of his pass TD this season to Brown.
It was Brown's 2nd reception on a pass thrown 30+ yards downfield this
season. The other was the game winning TD against the Eagles.
|
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