Carson Palmer did everything he could to rescue the Arizona Cardinals despite receiving little help from his offensive line
The Arizona Cardinals were allowing pressure from every direction. After a picture-perfect opening drive against the Dallas Cowboys, the Cards’ offensive line was struggling mightily. The fact that quarterback Carson Palmer was able to finish the losing effort in one piece was a miracle.
Arizona’s signal-caller proved his toughness once again during his team’s 28-17 defeat. Despite rarely operating from a clean pocket for most of the contest, Palmer had his squad within four points of the Cowboys with time running out. His effort was a valiant one, one that deserved a better ending.
Palmer started the night on fire, completing his first 11 passes. His two touchdown throws were things of beauty. The 37-year old finished 29 of 48, for 325 yards and zero turnovers.
The first score occurred on the game’s initial drive. Palmer’s 25-yarder to Jaron Brown capped off an eight-play, 82-yard drive that took 5:01.
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The second one came in the third quarter, with Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the receiving end. It came from 15 yards out, two plays after the future Hall of Famer and Palmer had hooked up on a 37-yard jump ball.
Ultimately, Palmer’s performance was wasted. The defense, as they had in the Detroit Lions matchup, suffered another fourth-quarter collapse. The unit had held Dallas in check for most of the evening, but once again couldn’t finish.
The effort of the Cards’ offensive line was disgraceful. All five of the starters should give their game checks back to the payroll department. Not only did they allow Palmer to take a beating, their run-blocking was atrocious as well.
Granted, the group was missing two of it’s starters. Left tackle D.J. Humphries missed his second consecutive week with a bum knee. Left guard Mike Iupati has also been out since the opener with a triceps injury.
One thing the Cowboys loss showed is that Palmer can still play at a high level. It’s too bad that Arizona’s management team has placed such an uninspiring collection of protectors in front of the veteran. The problem could potentially put a dagger square into the Super Bowl hopes of the 2017 Cardinals.