Injuries to QBs Cost Arizona Cardinals in Playoffs
By Nick Ziegler
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer reacts as he is taken off the field on a cart after suffering an injury in the second half against the St. Louis Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Cardinals had a disappointing end to their season on Saturday night against the Carolina Panthers, as after a 11-5 record in the regular season, the Cardinals were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs to the 7-8-1 Panthers.
In 2014, the Cardinals started the season with playoff aspirations after a 10-6 record in the 2013 season that wasn’t quite good enough to make the playoffs with their division rivals the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers both having better records, and the other Wild Card spot coming from the NFC South.
To start the season, the Cardinals won a thriller against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football, but that game would also cost them Carson Palmer for a few weeks with a neck injury. The Palmer injury did however lead to back Drew Stanton getting playing time, and as the backup QB, Stanton would win two straight games against the New York Giants and the 49ers, which opened eyes across the league about the Cardinals.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
One of the few times that Stanton would look over matched this season was against the Denver Broncos after the Cardinals’ bye week. Stanton would struggle in the Cardinals’ 41-20 loss, as he went 11-26 for just 118 yards.
After that loss to the Broncos, Carson Palmer would return from injury and would lead the Cardinals to a lot of success in the middle of the season.
With Palmer back in the lineup the Cardinals would go on a five-game winning streak with him as the starter with victories coming against good teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, who were without Tony Romo for that game. In Week 10, the Cardinals’ season and Super Bowl hopes would take a major blow against the St. Louis Rams.
The Cardinals’ 31-14 victory against the Rams, did come at the expense of Palmer who tore his ACL, which would obviously require season-ending knee surgery.
With Palmer’s season coming to an end in Week 10, he finished with a perfect 6-0 record, and a good season statistically in his six games. Palmer finished with 1,626 yards with 11 TD’s and just three interceptions. Losing a starting QB in the NFL usually ends a team season, and although it really hurt the Cardinals it didn’t kill them with the success that Stanton saw earlier in the season.
After the season-ending injury to Palmer, Stanton would once again be the starting QB, and right after the game against the Rams, the Cardinals had a big game against what would be a playoff team in the Detroit Lions.
Against the Lions, Stanton would lead the Cardinals to what would be their sixth straight win at the time with a 14-6 victory at home. The Cardinals despite having a backup QB start in four games would head into Seattle in Week 12 with a 9-1 record, which was the best in the league at the time, but that is where their offense started to look overmatched.
In the 19-3 loss to the Seahawks, the Cardinals’ offense really struggled, as Stanton had just 149 yards passing with an interception in the loss. Stanton would play better in Week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons however, but it was a disappointing loss for the Cardinals, and would be their first losing streak of the season.
Stanton and the Cardinals would bounce back after their two-game losing streak with a home win against the Kansas City Chiefs, but once again against the Rams the next week, the Cardinals would lose a QB. Like Palmer before him, Stanton would suffer a knee injury against the Rams, and although the Cardinals were able to hang on a defeat the Rams, it would be their last win of the season, as Stanton’s sprained knee would keep him out of action.
In the final two weeks of the regular season, and their playoff game against the Panthers, the Cardinals would turn to Ryan Lindley to be their QB, but Lindley was unable to play well as a starting QB.
In three games as the Cardinals’ starting QB, Lindley would throw six interceptions with just three TD passes, which just simply won’t win games in the NFL even with the Cardinals’ very good defense.
The injuries to Palmer and Stanton clearly ended any chances of the Cardinals being contenders in the playoffs this season, and it raises the question, where could the Cardinals have finished this season with Palmer or Stanton?