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Arizona Cardinals: Finally put all three phases together in victory

ByScott Allen|
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Sep 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Arizona won 48-23. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals offense: The offense was the story though despite not rolling in yardage.  It was what the Cardinals did with the field position they were given.  Quarterback Carson Palmer was 17-24 for just 185 yards but he threw four touchdowns on Sunday.

That gives him seven just two games into the season. He also had his first pick at the end of the first half.  I think that was more of a result of the Cardinals aggressive nature.  All day the Cardinals kept the foot on the pedal, even into the fourth quarter when many of us were calling for the Cardinals to put backup quarterback Drew Stanton into the game.

Palmer threw the ball into the arms of Bears defensive end Jared Allen.  Give him credit, he made a play.  He tipped the ball to himself and made a great diving catch to give the Bears life.  However they only got three points out of it.  Another mistake but another disaster avoided.

Also great on Sunday was receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  He had eight receptions for 112 yards and for the first time in his career, he scored three touchdowns in a game.  John Brown played well early as did Jaron Brown who scored his first touchdown of the season.

As for the Cardinals running game, it was in full swing.  For the second week in a row, they ran the ball for over 100 yards.  120 last week and 117 this week.  They averaged over four yards-per-carry for the second week in a row.

What’s next:

The Cardinals now get ready for two consecutive home games within the division.  The San Francisco 49ers next week and then the St. Louis Rams in two weeks.  Remember when I thanked the schedule makers back in April for giving the Cardinals three of the first four at home?  This was why.  If they could pull the first two games out with one of them being one of five early games this season then they look to be in good shape for two tough divisional games.

Let’s go get a lot more.  Time to protect the nest the next two weeks!

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