Arizona Cardinals vs Philadelphia Eagles game balls

The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 40-17 on Sunday night

The Cardinals looked good on the first drive on Sunday night on offense.  The defense looked suspect at times but did force four second half Philadelphia Eagles turnovers.  In the end there were three players that stood out above the rest.

You can probably guess who they are just by looking at the box score.  It is not always that cut and dry, at least not lately for the Cardinals.

Game ball #1:

David Johnson

You can not deny the rookie a game ball.  He carried the ball 29 times for 187 yards and three touchdowns.  His 47-yard touchdown run in the second quarter might be the best run in the NFL this season.  He appeared to go be going down after just a few yards and then he scooted out of the pack and tip toed the sidelines for the score.

Johnson also caught four passes for 42 yards.  The most impressive thing next to his touchdown run all night might have been the blocking he did for quarterback Carson Palmer.  He really gave Palmer time to throw at times.  He escaped major injury it appeared after getting hit in the knee late in the first half.  He came out and played the entire second half.

Game ball #2:

Carson Palmer

Palmer did not have his greatest statistical game of the season but he took care of the ball.  He managed the game very well.  He went 20-32 for 274 yards and a touchdown.  This game was more about the rushing but if not for a few dropped passes, his night would have been that much better.

Game ball #3:

Deone Bucannon

The second-year safety-turned-linebacker had himself a night.  He was one of the few guys that played consistently well Sunday night.  His biggest play was his first career interception of Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford.  He returned it 39-yards for a a touchdown, also a career-first for him.  He also had a team-high 11 tackles Sunday night.