3 big takeaways from the Arizona Cardinals’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals

Two NFL powerhouses square off on Sunday Night Football tonight- the 8-1 Cincinnati Bengals and 7-2 Arizona Cardinals- in a game that was flexed out of their afternoon time slot in order to play on the big stage in prime time. Carson Palmer looked impressive as he threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-32 victory in Seattle. What can you tell me about this group? “So we shouldn’t dwell on Carson”. He was an outstanding player here, and person.

The Bengals came crashing back down to earth recently, suffering their first loss of the season to the lowly Houston Texans.

“It was almost like Pittsburgh”, said Dalton, who was 22 of 38 for 197 yards with an interception and three sacks. Dalton was sacked four times, resulting in a lost fumble, Cincinnati’s only turnover of the night.

-RB Jeremy Hill ended up being the Bengals’ leading rusher with 45 yards on 13 carries, an average of 3.5 yards per run.

Either way, this will be a great game to close out Football Sunday.

The Cards were roughed up a bit and suffered a few key injuries on defense Sunday, including an injury to Patrick Peterson late in the game.

Can you trust a team that blew a halftime lead, climbed back out of a 10-point hole to tie the game, then melted down in the final 58 seconds when overtime seemed like a sure thing? It was an adjustment at first, but from offseason workouts to preseason games and now into the regular season, they’ve been around long enough to learn the ins and outs of professional football. They didn’t do a lot in the running game, but they didn’t have any “uh oh” moments, either.

While all of the rookies are part of a rotation in their position groups, they are all trying to make an impact while watching the others do the same. Marvin is a heck of a coach. The Cardinals also have the league’s best offense, and a defense that continues to make steady improvements by the week. Instead, referee Terry McAulay referred to as Peko for a private foul – moving the street of scrimmage for the Cardinals’ game-winning kick 15 yards nearer. “They thought I said ‘hike” or something. Bruce Arians put his coaching skills on full display with the ideal two-minute drill that Palmer and crew executed to get within field goal range.

Cincinnati is no slouch defensively, either.

– The Bengals had allowed exactly 10 points in each of their previous three games. “At the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter because it is all about the next man”, Kirkpatrick said. Oh, wait… no, I actually went 1 and 5. “That’s a great accomplishment and it motivates us to keep going”.

After Palmer threw his second interception of the first quarter, the Bengals took advantage on their ensuing drive.

RUN THE BALL: As is often the case, the team that runs the ball probably will have the best chance at a victory.

“I’m disappointed in him for the integrity of this game”.

Colts 24, Falcons 21: Adam Vinatieri won it for Indianapolis with a 43-yard field goal with 52 seconds remaining, and 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes filling in for injured Andrew Luck.

Cincinnati’s running game has been erratic all season and reached a new low in the loss to the Texans. With 9:44 left in the second quarter the score was tied at 7-7. “We’ve been in places that have been louder”. “He said “[expletive] yes” when asked if he was anxious that he had committed a false start. The stadium also has created a revenue stream that’s helped the franchise succeed. “Who knows, they get the phantom call there at the end, it’s kind of ridiculous….”

“This was going to be an wonderful challenge to come here and win”.