Raising Zona
FanSided

Good possibility Arizona Cardinals season already over

By Jim Koch

January 16, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) reacts after being intercepted by the Green Bay Packers during the second half in a NFC Divisional round playoff game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
January 16, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) reacts after being intercepted by the Green Bay Packers during the second half in a NFC Divisional round playoff game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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After just a quarter of the season the Arizona Cardinals appear to have destroyed the championship hopes of their fans for 2016

Heading into this season, fans of the Arizona Cardinals couldn’t help but to feel optimistic.

After all, the team was bringing back just about everyone from last year. A year in which they won 13 games and made it all the way to the NFC Championship. Besides most of the roster returning, they also brought in two major pieces in Chandler Jones and Evan Mathis.

This week’s loss to the division rival Los Angeles Rams was painful to watch. It also has placed them into an early hole at 1 and 3, a hole which they really don’t look like they’re even good enough to dig out of.

In fact, there’s a good chance they’ll be 1-4 with another division loss after Thursday. That’s when they will be visiting the San Francisco 49ers.

The lack of confidence in the Cards winning is because concussed quarterback Carson Palmer will probably be out. As bad as the Niners appear, it’s hard to imagine Arizona winning with backup Drew Stanton. Especially since they’ve only won one out of four with the much more talented Palmer.

Watching them lose to the Rams was a frustrating experience to say the least. The defense actually played well enough to win, which isn’t saying much. Case Keenum leads one of the NFL’s worst offenses, an offense that failed to score a TD until week three.

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The offense was the main culprit for the loss. They continually drove into Rams territory, only to shoot themselves in the foot time after time. Turnovers, dropped passes and penalties once again ruined any chance of victory.

The special teams once again contributed to the team’s misfortune. Late in the fourth quarter with the Cards clinging to a three-point lead they allowed Tavon Austin to break free. His big return set his team up with great field position and they were able to punch it in .

If they can somehow find a way to beat San Francisco with Stanton Thursday night, they’ll at least keep hope alive. They would then have extra time to get Palmer back to health and try to right their ship.

But it doesn’t look good. Has Palmer hit a wall? Are they simply not as good as everyone thought they were?

It’s not fun to be a fan of the Arizona Cardinals right now. But it’s not too late to salvage the season. Hopefully they’re the team we thought they were, but at this point Cards fans better not get their hopes up.

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