Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Carson Palmer has always had the talent to be one of the best in the NFL. But this year he is playing at a level we have only seen the very best play at -- the level we have seen Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees play at the past few seasons. Palmer's play and stats are eye-popping. He could be the game's best QB right now.
Here are some of the numbers, as shared by the Cardinals after their big win over the Bengals on Sunday.
Facing his former team, he completed 20 of 31 pass attempts for 317 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs and a passer rating of 111.2. Palmer now leads the NFL with 27 TD passes this season.
NFL Leaders - TD Passes (2015)
Rnk Player (Team) TDs
1 Carson Palmer (AZ) 27
2 Tom Brady (NE) 25
3 Aaron Rodgers (GB) 23
4t Derek Carr (Oak) 21
4t Eli Manning (NYG) 21
Palmer now leads the NFL in passer rating.
NFL Leaders - Passer Rating
Rnk Player (Team) Rating
Tom Brady (NE)* 111.1
1 Carson Palmer (AZ) 108.6
2 Tom Brady (NE) 107.4
3 Andy Dalton (Cin) 104.0
4 Aaron Rodgers (GB) 101.8
5 Drew Brees (NO) 101.3
After throwing for 317 yards and four TDs on Sunday, Palmer became the first QB in franchise history to throw for 300+ yards and at least three TDs in three consecutive games. Palmer leads the NFL with four such games this season.
Below is a look at where Palmer ranks in a number of offensive categories this season.
Where Palmer Ranks in 2015
Statistic Total NFL Rank
Passer Rating 108.6 1st
TD Passes 27 1st
TD Passing Pct. 8.0 1st
Passing Yards 3,066 2nd
Yards Per Attempt 9.04 1st
300-Yard Games 7 1st
Games w/ 3+ TD Passes 6 1st
Games w/100+ Passer Rating 7 1st
Games w/ 300+ Passing Yards 7 1st
Completions of 20+ Yards 46 1st
Third Down Passer Rating 124.4 2nd
First Downs Passing 147 t-2nd
Palmer entered Sunday's game with more TD passes in nine games this season than any QB in franchise history had thrown in the first 10 games of a season. After throwing four TD passes against Cincinnati, he has seven more TD passes than any QB in team history through 10 games.
Franchise Record - TD Passes in 1st 10 Games
Rnk Player (Years) TDs
1 Carson Palmer (2015) 27
2t Kurt Warner (2009) 20
2t Kurt Warner (2008) 20
2t Charley Johnson (1963) 20
5 Neil Lomax (1984) 18
Prior to 2015, Palmer's career high for TD passes in the first 10 games of a season was 20 (2005 with Cincinnati).
With six games still to play in 2015, Palmer's 27 TD passes are tied for the fourth-best single-season total in franchise history.
Franchise Record - TD Passes (Season)
Rnk Player (Year) TDs
1 Kurt Warner (2008) 30
2t Neil Lomax (1984) 28
2t Charley Johnson (1963) 28
4t Carson Palmer (2015) 27
4t Kurt Warner (2007) 27
Sunday's outing marked Palmer's ninth career game with at least four TD passes and third as a member of the Cardinals. All three have come this season (Week 2 at Chi and Week 8 at Cle). Despite having played in just 32 games with the Cardinals, Palmer's three games with 4+ TD passes are tied for the second-most in franchise history.
Franchise Record - Games w/4+ TD Passes (Career)
Rnk Player (Year) 4+ Gms Played
1 Charley Johnson (1961-69) 4 87
2t Carson Palmer (2013-15) 3 32
2t Jim Hart (1966-83) 3 199
4t Kurt Warner (2005-09) 2 61
4t Jake Plummer (1997-02) 2 84
4t Lamar McHan (1954-58) 2 60
Palmer now has six games with at least three TD passes in 2015, the most in a single season in franchise history.
Franchise Record - Games with 3+ TD Passes (Season)
Rnk Player (Year) Gms
1 Carson Palmer (2015) 6
2t Kurt Warner (2007) 5
2t Charley Johnson (1963) 5
4t Kurt Warner (2008) 4
4t Neil Lomax (1987) 4
4t John Roach (19600 4
Palmer has at least three TD passes in three consecutive games. That is the longest active streak in the NFL and it represents the second-longest in franchise history.
Franchise Record - Consecutive Games w/3+ TD Passes
Rnk Player (Year) Gms
1 Kurt Warner (2007) 4
2 Carson Palmer (2015) 3
3t Carson Palmer (2015) 2
3t Timm Rosenbach (1990) 2
3t Charley Johnson (1969) 2
3t Charley Johnson (1965) 2
The win gives Palmer a 21-4 record in his last 25 starts dating back to Week 8 of the 2013 season. His .840 winning percentage in that span in the best in the NFL.
QBs with Best Win % (Week 8 of ‘13 - Present)
Rnk Player (Team) Win% W-L
1 Carson Palmer (AZ) .840 21-4
2 Tom Brady (NE) .828 29-6
3 Peyton Manning (Den) .765 26-8
4 Tony Romo (Dal) .731 19-7
5 Aaron Rodgers (GB) .724 21-8
In those 25 starts, he has completed 561 of 869 pass attempts (64.6%) for 7,225 yards, 54 TDs, 20 INTs with a passer rating of 101.6.
After throwing for 317 yards against the Bengals on Sunday, Palmer now has 41 career 300-yard passing games, including 14 as a member of the Cardinals. Palmer's 14 300-yard performances are tied for the third-most in team history.
Franchise Record - Games with 300+ Passing Yards
Rnk Player (Years) 300+ Gms Played
1 Kurt Warner (2005-09) 22 61
2 Neil Lomax (1981-88) 19 108
3t Carson Palmer (2013-15) 14 32
3t Jim Hart (1966-83) 14 199
5 Charley Johnson (1961-69) 12 87
Palmer has thrown for 300+ yards in seven of 10 games this season. That ties the franchise record for the most 300-yard passing performances in a single season.
Franchise Record—Games w/300+ Passing Yards (Season)
Rnk Player Gms Year
1t Carson Palmer 7 2015
1t Kurt Warner 7 2008
1t Neil Lomax 7 1984
4t Carson Palmer 5 2013
4t Kurt Warner 5 2005
4t Neil Lomax 5 1988
After throwing for 317 yards against Cincinnati, Palmer passed Dave Krieg (38,147) for 18th place on the NFL's all-time passing yardage list.
NFL's All-Time Passing Yardage Leaders (Career)
Rnk Player Yards
1 Peyton Manning* 71,871
2 Brett Favre 71,838
3 Dan Marino# 61,361
4 Drew Brees* 59,005
5 Tom Brady* 56,301
6 John Elway# 51,475
7 Warren Moon# 49,325
8 Fran Tarkenton# 47,003
9 Vinny Testaverde 46,233
10 Drew Bledsoe 44,611
11 Dan Fouts# 43,040
12 Eli Manning* 42,455
13 Ben Roethlisberger* 40,944
14 Kerry Collins 40,922
15 Joe Montana# 40,551
16 Johnny Unitas# 40,239
17 Philip Rivers* 39,866
18 Carson Palmer* 38,431
19 Dave Krieg 38,147
20 Boomer Esiason 37,920
#Hall of Fame Inductee *Active Player