Carson Palmer’s Revival A Big Reason For Arizona Cardinals’ Success
By Michael Compton
@MWCompton
Matthew Emmons-USA Today Sports
Veteran Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is enjoying one of his best seasons in the NFL. The 12-year pro is the only undefeated quarterback in the league this year, going 5-0 in games he has started (he missed two games due to a shoulder injury), and his stellar play has guided the high-flying Cardinals to the top of the NFC West.
Palmer is thriving in head coach Bruce Arians’ vertical passing attack. In Sunday’s road victory over a Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys, Palmer gave up an early pick-six, but settled down and threw three touchdown passes to lead the Cardinals to a 28-17 victory. The interception was his only miscue of the day as he concluded the contest 22-of-34 for 249 yards. Proving just how clutch he has been this season, Palmer threw all three of his touchdown passes on third downs.
In a division that boasts standout young guns in Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Austin Davis, Palmer is somewhat surprisingly outplaying them all. Throwing for a division-best 277 yards per game, Palmer ranks eighth in the league and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 11-2. His leadership is a big reason why the Cardinals are 7-1 and own the best record in the NFL through the first nine weeks of the season. It’s the best start for the franchise since 1974 and the best of Palmer’s career.
With a bevy of talented targets the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, who extended his streak of catching at least one pass to a remarkable 157 games on Sunday, along with promising rookie John Brown, Michael Floyd, Ted Ginn Jr., Andre Ellington out of the backfield and tight end John Carlson, Palmer is loaded with weapons.
In addition, a retooled offensive line has given Palmer a safer pocket to throw from this year. He has been sacked just six times thus far, a significantly better pace over last season in which he was sacked 41 times on the year.
The Cardinals have answered stiff challenges, winning seven of their first eight games, but there is still plenty of work ahead. With Super Bowl XLIX scheduled for Feb. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona, the upstart Cardinals have extra incentive to keep their roll going during the stretch run of the season.
Behind Palmer’s veteran leadership and barring a sudden reversal of fortune, Arizona is sure to keep grinding. If the Cardinals continue to rattle off wins at their current pace, they could very well become the first team in NFL history to turn the Super Bowl into a home game.
Michael Compton is a Jacksonville Jaguars writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter at @MWCompton and connect with him on Google.
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