Record: Cardinals 9-2
Sunday's result: Lost to Seattle Seahawks 19-3.
The skinny: Before losing to Seattle, the Cardinals had won six consecutive games and led the San Francisco 49ers and Seahawks by three games in the NFC West. They were rolling along until starting quarterback Carson Palmer was lost for the season with a knee injury. It remains to be seen if Drew Stanton, a former second-round pick in 2008 by the Detroit Lions, can lead them into the playoffs. He is now 5-4 as a starter.
Series history: The Cardinals lead 15-12. The Cardinals won the previous meeting 27-13 on Oct. 27 last season. The Cardinals also have a historic playoff victory against the Falcons. After the 2008 season, the Cardinals defeated the Falcons 30-24 on their way to their first Super Bowl appearance.
State of the union: Bruce Arians took over as coach of the Cardinals in 2013 and guided them to a 10-6 mark. They picked up where they left off as they had to replace several starters on defense in Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby and John Abraham. Here's how Dan Bickley, a sports columnist for the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, describes the Cardinals rise to NFC powerhouse status: "They are in fabulous position to never leave home for the playoffs, where they can showcase their secret weapon. Namely, a home-field advantage that's about as good as it gets in the NFL. Can't believe your eyes? How about your ears? … On the field, Sunday's 14-6 victory proved a few things. The Cardinals displaced the Lions as the NFL's best defense; Patrick Peterson picked a wonderful time to start playing like a premier cornerback; and Drew Stanton is really good at tackling, although it's something Cardinals fans never want to see again. That said, if Stanton can finish games the way he starts games, there is no reason Arizona can't go to the Super Bowl in the same year the Super Bowl comes to Arizona. … In the stands, it's another story. If you've wondered how the Cardinals have become a fourth-quarter leviathan, especially in Glendale, it starts with their fans. Sometimes spectators forget to be quiet for the offense. Sometimes they're wearing the wrong-colored jersey. But the Red Sea always seems to lift the defense. And in the final 15 minutes, it's a common occurrence for them to swallow up the opposing offense."
Three things: 1) Stanton is surrounded by offensive stars in running back Andre Ellington and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd; 2) Peterson said the Falcons have the best wide receiver duo in the league over the offseason. Now, he'll have to try to shut them down; 3) Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will be a hot head coach candidate this offseason. He's creative, using alignments featuring two, three and four defensive linemen and will move his safeties all over the field.
