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Ever since Carson Palmer tore his ACL about a month ago, the Arizona Cardinals haven’t looked like the team that was 9-1 at one time. While Drew Stanton is a decent backup, there is no question that he isn’t a starting-level quarterback in this league. To make matters even worse, star running back Andre Ellington was out because of a hip injury in Week 14. Without Ellington, the Cardinals lacked a player to catch passes out of the backfield in addition to his ability to pick up yards in the run game.
Despite all of their injuries, the Cardinals were able to get past a Kansas City Chiefs team that was in need of a win. In a game that was basically even, the Cardinals were able to manage just three more points. When you look at the time of possession battle, the Cardinals held the ball just two more seconds than the opposition. That’s right — just two seconds. With the Seattle Seahawks getting hot at the right time, the Cardinals needed a win to get some breathing space and they did just that.
Last week, the Cardinals were destroyed by a bad Atlanta Falcons team. Julio Jones beat Patrick Peterson up and down the field. Considering how much money is tied up in Peterson, he needed to be better in Week 14. This week, Peterson went up and against Dwayne Bowe and held him to just two catches for 29 yards. While Jamaal Charles did have two touchdowns, Alex Smith was not comfortable throughout most of the game. The Cardinals had five sacks on Smith, and they harassed him all day. For the Cardinals to keep winning football games, they will need to continue to bring the intensity they had in Week 14 on the defensive side of the ball.
Ryan Ratty is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL or add him to your network on Google.
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