After dropping 31 points and 407 yards of total offense, the Cardinals can officially say that "everything's alright". We all know the records that were broken so we won't dip into any of that, but looking at the overall numbers is a different story. The Cardinals offense out-gained the Rams in almost every category and a shootout was never a thought. Let's take a look at how they did.
Quarterbacks: Kurt didn't complete his usual percentage of passes(63%), but he managed to pile up 313 yards with a quarterback rating of 106.6. Warner was obviously ready to take a break at the end of the game, even admitting he had hoped the starters could've received more time to rest. Mat Leinart didn't see much time and was assigned exclusively to hand off duties - yay.
Running backs: Beanie received the bulk of the carries for the fourth straight game and managed to turn them into 68 yards and a touchdown. He only caught 1 pass but converted it into a 25-yard run. Tim Hightower had twelve touches for 35 yards(2.9) but also scored a touchdown - the 18th of his career and tied for most by a Cardinal in a two year span. The biggest concern isn't the fact that they only ran for 110 yards, it's that they couldn't break a big run against a team that's been allowing them all season.
Wide receivers: The "big three" may have to be known as the "big four" with Early Doucet making a name for himself. He caught his first career touchdown and also added a 25-yard screen pass to give him 43 yards on the day. Anquan Boldin topped 100 yards receiving for the 3rd time this year, and should surmount 1,000 receiving yards next week - the 5th time in his 7 year career. Larry Fitzgerald didn't have his best game but added another touchdown to his league-leading total of 12. Steve Breaston rounds out the group with the most significant play being the team's season-long, 45 yard reception.
Offensive line: I don't know whether to be angry or happy at the fact that the offensive line allowed 2 sacks to the St. Louis Rams. Both offensive tackles had trouble holding off the edge on both running and passing plays. Chris Long had one of the best games of his short career and managed to out-muscle Jeremy Bridges on more then one occasion. There were some positives, like the block Lyle Sendlein layed on the Rams defensive tackle on Tim Hightower's touchdown, or the hole that was opened up on Kurt Warner's 10 yard scamper.
My Offensive Grade: A-
The Cardinals dominated a team that they should have dominated, so there weren't many surprises in this game. The passing attack showed what this team is capable of and what we have to look forward to come playoff time. They get a minus because the running game didn't produce like it should have. What grade did you give the Cardinals offense and why?