Carson Palmer Delivers For Arizona Cardinals
By Scott Allen
Nov 17, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws a pass as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Andre Branch (90) closes in during the fourth quarter of their game at EverBank Field. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Granted the Arizona Cardinals passing game may have gotten a boost on Sunday in the 27-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars thanks to a lack of a running game, however the Cards finally got to see what an almost mistake free Carson Palmer looks like with this offense.
I say almost not because of the interception that never was because if the play didn’t count, it didn’t happen, especially since he didn’t repeat it. I say almost because even with the 419 yards passing and the two touchdowns, I felt like he left a couple of wide open guys out there with many yards in front of them. You can’t really find too much fault with Palmer on Sunday though.
The play I really liked was the one right before the 91-yard pass and touchdown to receiver Michael Floyd. Palmer was sacked on the play before. You could tell on the play he had thought about getting rid of the ball on his heels. If he had, he very well may have been forcing something where it shouldn’t have been forced. Then, the longest touchdown pass in the NFL this season so far happened.
For the first time this season I thought Palmer looked comfortable in the pocket. He missed on some passes. He wasn’t perfect, however he was good enough. He would have beaten many other teams other than Jags with his Sunday performance. He certainly spread the ball around. It was nice to see him target Larry Fitzgerald more than once or twice. He got the ball to nine different players. Now, he needs to follow that up with an even better performance against the Indianapolis next Sunday. It would also be nice to get back to the balance they had the past couple of weeks as well. It is unrealistic to think that Palmer can throw the ball 42 times without an interception every week. The offensive line is going to need to help those backs find more holes than they found on Sunday.