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 Just to be safe, the Arizona Cardinals head coach had three
quarterbacks active for the game.
Listed as questionable after missing the previous three games with a
nerve issue in his passing shoulder, Carson Palmer got the starting
nod and threw two touchdown passes to help the Cardinals down the
Washington Redskins 30-20 at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Palmer, who spent most of Friday in Denver getting treatment on the
nerve by a specialist he discovered only a week earlier, completed
28 of 44 passes for 250 yards. He was not sacked and did not throw
an interception.
For the first time since at least 1940, the Cardinals went five
consecutive games without throwing at least one interception.
First-place Arizona (4-1) holds a one-game lead over the defending
Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers in
the NFC West.
"Today I had a really good idea (that I would play)," Palmer said.
"I went through the whole week and threw very little on Wednesday,
very little on Thursday and then felt pretty good on Friday and took
about a quarter of the reps in practice and actually got in some
11-on-11 situations and seven-on-seven, and it felt good. It felt
good Saturday, and it felt really good today."
In addition to Palmer's surprise return, the Cardinals forced four
fourth-quarter turnovers and got three second-half field goals from
rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins rallied the Redskins to a late touchdown,
finding wide receiver Pierre Garcon on a 5-yard pass with 2:17 left
to play. The play cut Arizona's lead to 23-20. However, Arizona
safety Rashad Johnson returned his second interception of the game
28 yards for a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, sealing a fourth
straight loss for Washington (1-5).
"It wasn't what we wanted," Cousins said of the Redskins' play in
the decisive fourth quarter, during which he was picked off three
times. "The turnovers were costly. They just didn't give us a chance
to stay on the field. We had the players and were moving the
football. We've got guys who can help us, but when you turn the ball
over, you won't give them a chance to show what they can do. We've
got to be a lot better."
The Cardinals snapped an eight-game losing streak head-to-head
losing streak to Washington, which finished 2-for-10 on third-down
conversions.
"I told our team after the game this game is not that hard to figure
out," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "The team that makes plays
usually wins. The team that doesn't turn the ball over usually wins.
...
"We're not doing anything. It's a broken record every time I stand
up here. Unfortunately, it's on us as coaches. If we have to
continue saying the same thing, we're not obviously getting it
across to our players."
After Catanzaro hit a 49-yarder to put Arizona ahead 20-13 early in
the fourth quarter, Cardinals cornerback Jerraud Powers stripped
Redskins wide receiver Andre Roberts of the ball and safety Tyrann
Mathieu recovered for the first turnover. Catanzaro then hit from 37
yards, making him 14-for-14 on field-goal attempts this season.
On Washington's ensuing possession, Cousins was picked off by
Johnson. It didn't get much better from there for Cousins, who was
intercepted yet again on the Redskins' next drive, this time by
Powers.
"The first one was a poor throw; high over the middle," said
Cousins, who finished 24-for-38 for 354 yards and two touchdowns. "I
got off rhythm and just felt rushed and it threw me off where I
wanted to be. That one was on me. The second one, it just got
congested and it was just a tough deal the way it worked out. ...
The third one, I was just trying to get the ball downfield and did
not see the defender."
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Palmer threw touchdown passes to wide receivers Michael Floyd and
Larry Fitzgerald to help the Cardinals head into halftime with a
14-13 lead.
Arizona scored on its third possession of the game when, after
starting at the Washington 41, Palmer hit Floyd in the end zone for
a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Washington wasn't rattled, though. After taking a 10-yard sack,
Cousins stepped up on second-and-20 and hit wide receiver DeSean
Jackson on a crossing route. Jackson outran the man coverage of Pro
Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson and scooted 64 yards for the
touchdown.
The Redskins gambled a bit on their next possession, going for it on
fourth-and-1 from their own 39. Cousins executed a perfect
play-action call and lofted a short pass to tight end Niles Paul for
a 7-yard gain.
Later, Cousins worked underneath on a screen pass to Jackson, who
pulled away for a 42-yard gain. The 60-yard drive ended with a
28-yard field goal by kicker Kai Forbath.
Penalties began to consume the Cardinals, who were flagged seven
times for 45 yards in the half. Palmer managed to direct them on an
eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive, capped by his 24-yard touchdown
pass to Fitzgerald with 31 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Fitzgerald deked cornerback E.J. Biggers off the line, gained a
step, and then corkscrewed his way out of a tackle at the goal line
for his first touchdown reception of the season. It was also the
88th of his career, moving him into a tie with Hall of Famer Don
Maynard for 12th on the league's all-time list.
"Carson looked good in practice on Friday," Fitzgerald said of
Palmer. "He made all his throws, threw solid deep balls, had some
zip on the ball, and it was really great to see him back out there.
I know it had to be really frustrating just kind of playing the
waiting game and waiting for that nerve to start firing again, but
you could see it in his eyes on Friday in practice. We're happy to
see him back in there."
The Redskins were able to add another field goal just before
halftime. Cousins kept working underneath and finding open receivers
during a 55-yard scoring drive that took just 29 seconds.
NOTES: The Cardinals were without DE Calais Campbell, who was
expected to miss anywhere from one to three weeks after spraining an
MCL in his right knee after getting chop-blocked a week ago by
Denver Broncos TE Julius Thomas. ... Washington was without starting
MLB Perry Riley Jr. (knee). Will Compton got the start in his place.
... Redskins starting CB David Amerson left the game in the first
quarter with concussion symptoms and did not return. ... With his
six catches Sunday, WR Larry Fitzgerald (865) moved ahead of Muhsin
Muhammad (860) and Jimmy Smith (862) and into 20th place on the
NFL's all-time list. ... Arizona drew its 88th consecutive sellout
crowd.
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