Cardinals lose to Broncos, face tough road in NFC West
DENVER – It was just two weeks ago that the Arizona Cardinals sat alone atop the NFC West, the last undefeated team in a division that could be considered the NFL's toughest. Those Cardinals headed into their bye week confident they'd be getting their starting quarterback back on the field soon, and believing they had the type of championship-caliber defense that could compete with anyone in the NFL.
Fast forward to Sunday in Denver.
The starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, was still sidelined with a nerve issue that he believes is finally starting to improve, and his backup, Drew Stanton, was knocked out of the game with a concussion, leaving just fourth-round pick Logan Thomas. Arizona managed just 215 offensive yards and only nine first downs in a 41-20 loss to Denver.
The defense that was so impressive in wins against the San Diego Chargers, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, lost its best run defender, Calais Campbell, early in the third quarter on a chop block that Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians called "the dirtiest play I've ever seen in the National Football League," and had few answers for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw four touchdown passes, that boosted his career total to 503.
The Cardinals trudged into the visitor's locker room at Sports Authority Field only to find that while they were losing, San Francisco was winning their second consecutive game, 22-17 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Niners now have three wins, just like the Cardinals, and Seattle – the reigning division and Super Bowl champs – can get its third win to keep pace Monday night in Washington.
The NFC West is wide open and likely won't be decided until late December.
"You've got to play your tail off to get to there, to make sure you're still in it," Arians said.
The Cardinals certainly aren't panicking, but they are leaving Denver knowing what a big opportunity was lost here against the Broncos. With a schedule back-loaded with division games – two games each against Seattle and St. Louis and the season finale at Levi's Stadium against San Francisco – Arizona understands how costly early-season loses can be, especially after failing to make the playoffs last season despite winning 10 games.
"We learned that lesson last year. We lost a couple of games we probably shouldn't have early on, and it ended up biting us in the butt," Palmer told USA TODAY Sports.
Palmer's progress as he works his way back from a nerve issue in his neck will be a critical for the Cardinals to remain atop the division. Stanton certainly exceeded expectations in his three starts, and he kept Arizona close in the first-half Sunday, leading two long field goal drives and a one-play, 5-yard touchdown drive in the first half.
He was diagnosed with a concussion after absorbing a brutal hit from Broncos linebacker Von Miller in the third quarter, and his status for next week's game against Washington is unclear.
Palmer, meanwhile, flew to Denver on Friday ahead of his team to meet with a nerve specialist who has worked with Manning, who dealt with nerve issues in his neck and right arm following his 2011 spinal fusion surgery. Palmer was scheduled to stay in Denver Sunday night and meet with the doctor here again Monday before flying back to Phoenix to rejoin his team.
Palmer was able to throw 20 passes before Sunday's game without suffering a setback.
"Very encouraging," Palmer said. "I wasn't burning up anybody's hands, it was just 10-yard passes, but it was just good to be able to throw. … I think there's been a breakthrough, so just keep my fingers crossed and hopefully this is the answer."
Neither Palmer nor Arians could put a timetable on Palmer's return – "That's the million dollar question," Palmer said – and if neither
Palmer nor Stanton are cleared next week, the Cardinals will turn to the rookie Thomas, who completed just one pass in eight attempts and was sacked twice against Denver.
Thomas' one completion though was a beauty – a perfectly placed pass on the right sideline to running back Andre Ellington, who outran Denver's defense for an 81-yard touchdown.
"It's awesome to have the opportunity, and it's also awesome to have the first touchdown of my career," Thomas said. "But at the same time, it feels equally bad to have the loss."
The Cardinals will face the next few weeks without Campbell, their defensive captain, after he suffered what Arians said is likely a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee after a chop block from Broncos tight end Julius Thomas and left tackle Ryan Clady.
"They'll fine [Thomas], but what do we get?" Arians said. "We lost our guy for 2-3 weeks, maybe four."
The 49ers meanwhile continue to play through – and win – despite noise about unrest in the locker room and discord in the front office between head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke. In the past two weeks, though, San Francisco picked up confidence-boosting wins against Philadelphia and Kansas City (and former quarterback Alex Smith) that could carry over to upcoming road games at 1-3 St. Louis and in Denver against a Broncos team whose passing game is rolling.
Manning threw four touchdowns in Sunday's win (as well as two first-half interceptions) while receiver Demaryius Thomas had his breakthrough game of the season, with eight catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Manning needs five touchdowns to tie Brett Favre (508) for the NFL's career record.