Drew Stanton played well in the Cardinals' win over the Giants as Carson Palmer's backup. (
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals backup quarterback Drew Stanton knew how fans and media perceived him. Whenever his name was written or mentioned, the phrase “hasn’t thrown a pass in the regular season since 2010” was quick to follow.
Not any longer.
Stanton started in place of Carson Palmer on Sunday and played efficiently in the Cardinals’ 25-14 victory over the Giants. Palmer barely threw the ball last week after suffering an injured nerve in his right shoulder in Week 1.
Stanton found out he was starting about two hours before Sunday’s game.
“B.A. (Bruce Arians) says to me, ‘hey, baby, you’re up,'” Stanton said. “And I was like, ‘all right.’ That’s all that was said.”
Stanton texted his pregnant wife to tell her the news and then completed 14 of 29 passes for 167 yards and no touchdowns. But he made important throws on third down and took care of the ball, not committing a turnover.
“I looked at the numbers and I was shocked because he played really, really well,” Arians said. “The numbers don’t do him justice.”
Arians has always believed in Stanton, who he coached one year in Indianapolis. Arians was among the few because Stanton hadn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game since December of 2010, when he was a Lion.
He bounced around, from the Lions to the Jets to the Colts and to the Cardinals.
There is no quarterback controversy in Arizona. Palmer is the starter when he’s healthy, but he doesn’t know when that will be.
“They said my shoulder was stretched out and I landed on the nerve, shut the nerve down,” Palmer said. “It’s just one of those things you’ve just got to wait and hope it wakes up. There’s no, ‘it needs 48 hours. It needs six days, it needs 12 days.’ You just don’t know.”
After catching one pass in Week 1, receiver Larry Fitzgerald was a bigger part of the offense in Week 2. He was targeted 10 times and caught six. In contrast, Michael Floyd caught just one pass for 19 yards.
Second-year safety Tyrann Mathieu played for the first time since suffering two torn knee ligaments last Dec. 8. Mathieu was in on five snaps, when the Cardinals used seven defensive backs. He had one tackle.
“I’ll be patient, stay humble,” he said. “It was great to get back out there. I was hoping to play a little bit more. I really wasn’t put in a situation where I had to use my quickness or instincts. But I think everybody played well so I didn’t have a chance to get out there much.”
NOTES: DE Frostee Rucker is expected to play against the 49ers after missing last week’s game with a calf injury. Tommy Kelly has played in Rucker’s place.
REPORT CARD VS. CHARGERS
PASSING OFFENSE: B — Drew Stanton completed less than 50 percent of his passes (14-for-29) but operated the offense well and made important throws when the Cardinals needed him most. Scoring in the red zone was a problem. Stanton’s throws were off there as the Cardinals scored one touchdown in four red-zone opportunities.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A — Andre Ellington gained 91 yards on 15 carries, a 6.1-yard average. The Cardinals finished with 124 yards. The line opened some nice holes and Ellington did a solid job of setting up blocks.
PASS DEFENSE: C — The Cardinals intercepted two passes and sacked Eli Manning twice. But they also gave up two touchdown passes and didn’t put enough pressure on Manning. Their defensive backs didn’t adjust well to a game that was being called closely.
RUSH DEFENSE: A — Another excellent effort. The Giants were never able to establish consistency, finishing with 81 yards on 27 carries. Their longest run was 13 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C — Rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro made four field goals. Ted Ginn, Jr., returned a punt for a touchdown. Linebacker Kenny Demens forced a fumble on a kickoff. So what was the problem? A blocked punt, the second in two games.
COACHING: A — The Cardinals won on the road with a backup quarterback and a banged-up defense. Head coach Bruce Arians has this team believing it can overcome most anything. Arians did a great job of instilling confidence in backup quarterback Drew Stanton. The only questionable call Arians made was going for two points when up five in the fourth quarter. The attempt failed. Instead of being ahead nine points late in the game, the Cardinals led by only 8, which meant the Giants could have tied the game late. They didn’t but it’s a situation that Arians needs to examine closely.
