If the Arizona Cardinals are going to continue their winning season all the way to the Super Bowl, they will have to do so without Carson Palmer. The quarterback has been a big reason Arizona sits at 8-1 on the season. The Cardinals repaid the quarterback with a new contract extension. However, Palmer will be on the sidelines for the remainder of the year after tearing his ACL in Week 10.
Fox Sports' Jay Glazer confirmed that Palmer tore his ACL in the win over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Cardinals were trying to remain optimistic about the status of their starting quarterback, but Monday tests showed he will be done for the season. Palmer went down after getting sacked by Mark Barron in the fourth quarter. He walked off the field on his own power, but stumbled on the sideline and had to be carted off.
The injury to Palmer comes just days after he signed a three-year extension worth $50 million with $20.5 of that being guaranteed money. In his place, backup Drew Stanton will take over. He started at quarterback for three games at the start of the year while Palmer had nerve damage in his throwing arm. Head coach Bruce Arians has all the confidence in the world that Stanton can keep the team's playoff dreams alive.
"We can win the Super Bowl with Drew Stanton," Arians said, via NFL.com. "There is no doubt in my mind."
Stanton has proven that he can handle the starting job in place of Palmer even though he lacks the skill set of the veteran. So far this season, Stanton has 614 yards and three touchdowns while not having thrown an interception. The Cardinals have won two of the three games with the backup in. He certainly helped confidence after a 48-yard touchdown strike to John Brown almost immediately after replacing Palmer. He allowed the Cardinals to run away with a win in the end.
"All week at practice, Carson loved this deep throw to John Brown," Stanton said, via SI.com. "We had it in the game plan, and at halftime we said, 'We want to take our shot with this play. It's going to be there.'
Stanton has the tools to be successful. The Cardinals have a strong group of wide receivers including veteran Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd to pair next to Brown. Andre Ellington continues to dominate in his second season, leading the ground game. With a defense that is dominating their opponents, Stanton has enough to make Arians' prediction come true.