Arizona Cardinals offense must take conservative approach

November 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton (5) and quarterback Carson Palmer (3) warm up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
November 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton (5) and quarterback Carson Palmer (3) warm up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi /
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With quarterback Drew Stanton set to take the reigns head coach Bruce Arians needs to alter the Arizona Cardinals offense

It was a long shot, but nevertheless Arizona Cardinals fans were holding out hope. Hope that a miracle would occur and quarterback Carson Palmer would somehow be cleared to play the San Francisco 49ers. It’s not gonna happen.

Drew Stanton will be the starter. He’s a classic journeyman, painfully inaccurate, erratic and inconsistent. The organization compliments him on his knowledge of the system, but what good is knowledge without execution?

Hopefully Bruce Arians resigns himself to that fact and comes up with a more Stanton-friendly game plan. A game plan that is designed to feature running back David Johnson. A game plan that will take less chances through the air thereby reducing the risk of mistakes.

Johnson is a workhorse who can handle 25 or even 30 carries. A steady diet of Johnson, plus Stanton throwing only when necessary with an occasional shot downfield seems like a good plan.

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It’s a shame Chris Johnson also went down last weekend and is out indefinitely. The Cards pounding the Niners defense with Johnson and Johnson could’ve been a perfect recipe for victory.

Of course, Andre Ellington is still in the mix but he’s a much better receIver than a ball-carrier out of the backfield.

Defensively, Arizona should be able to shut down the Blaine Gabbert-led 49ers. As bad as Stanton is, Gabbert isn’t much better. The Niners have incredibly mediocre weapons, although Carlos Hyde is a very talented running back.

If there is a game the Cardinals can win without Palmer it’s this one. On paper they’re better than the Niners in almost every area. A win would put them right back in the thick of the division race, while a loss could be disastrous.

It’s amazing that five games into this season we’re “hoping” the squad can beat lowly San Francisco. How expectations have changed. But at this point, Arizona fans will have to take what they can get.