Colts vs. Cardinals: 5 positives in the win

The Cardinals won! What were the good things?

Carson Palmer

Regulars here know that I have been very hard on Palmer. Even after his dominate game against Jacksonville I doubted him, I said I needed to see him do it against a good team. Well he did it and is playing exceptionally well right now. Palmer may have had his best game as a Cardinal completing 70% of his passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. On the day Palmer had a 93.1 QBR and a 114 QB rating. Is this what having a good QB play feels like? I had almost forgotten...

Spreading the love

10. Why is that number important? 10 different players caught a pass from Palmer, with Floyd leading the way again for his second 100 yard game on seven receptions. Fitzgerald had five receptions for 52 yards and two TDs, Housler had four for 51 and Roberts had three for 43. When you spread the rock it makes it near impossible for a defense to key in and make adjustments. How do you cover everyone?

Guess who's back

It may be premature to say Mendenhall is "back" but he did have a statement game getting 54 yards on 13 carries, a TD and a season long run of 15. Mendenhall also had a 24 yard reception, also a season long. Overall the run game was excellent accruing 120 yards on 30 carries, a neat 4.0 yards per carry.

Pick Six

How many interceptions have we seen Karlos Dansby drop this season? Five? Six? Well today not only did Dansby get his second INT of the season he returned it home for a Cardinals touchdown that really set the pace for the defense the rest of the game. Dansby lead the team with five solo tackles and a pass defended. Is there a better free agent signing in the NFL right now? Dansby is en fuego.

Pass Rush

Without advanced stats at the ready the stat line shows the Cardinals sacked Luck only once but if you watched the game it seemed like we would have had multiple sacks. Luck made plays and sacks were avoided but he was under duress all night long and constantly forced into bad throws. It was a strong game for the Cardinals front line that are likely the biggest reason why the team was able to stifle the Colts.