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In just one play, the game and the season all but over for the Cardinals
Down 6-0 still in the game, Carson Palmer would take a shot down field and get hit. The result was the game and possibly, the Cardinals season in a nutshell. Palmer going deep to JJ Nelson threw into double coverage, and Joyner for the Rams picked it off. This was a momentum changer and as it turns out- may be a season changer. Carson Palmer broke his arm on the hit. Til that point, yes, the Cardinals offense was sputtering or wheels turning stuck in the mud. The next play Gurley would run for an 18-yard touchdown and seem to put the game farther and farther away.
The hopes of getting Adrian Peterson, as a way to keep the Cardinals in contention, was all lost in that one throw. The Cardinals lost the game as Drew Stanton looked like Drew Stanton. A quality backup QB who can run the offense but isn't going to put up the stats needed for the Cardinals to go anywhere. With Palmer now pretty much done for the season and possibly his last game as a Cardinal seems to be a fitting end. As the Cardinals QB he was always good and was close to getting over the hump but just couldn't get there.
Now the Cardinals rest their season on Drew Stanton as QB and with the same defense that looks nothing like the last few years. With Peterson trying to show he still has something and a hall of fame career in Larry Fitzgerald, they will most likely go out without making the playoffs.
This game was a turning point in the season. A win would have placed the Cardinals in the thick of it. A loss put the Cardinals in a position to have to really perform well to keep them in the playoff conversation.
With that Palmer’s throw, it all but ended the game and the Cardinals playoff shot. Never say never as the Cardinals still may be able to work some magic and get an amazing second half performance from Drew Stanton, but this seems unlikely. T
his might just be the last that you see of Palmer, Fitzgerald and Peterson together on the same field.