After not recording a single 10-win season during their first 21 years in the Valley, the Arizona Cardinals now have three straight such seasons.
They earned their 10th win of 2015 with a 27-3 stomping at the St. Louis Rams on Sunday to avenge their only home loss of the season. The Cards have now won six games in a row, while the Rams have lost five straight.
Here are five big takeaways from the Cards' victory.
1. Cards just fine without Chris Johnson.
Rookie running back David Johnson relieved fans' concerns that the Cards' running game was toast following the regular season-ending injury to veteran Chris Johnson. On Sunday, the third-round pick carried 22 times for 99 yards on Sunday and caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown. Third-year pro Kerwynn Williams, who was just called up from the Cards' practice squad, added a 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to seal the win.
2. Palmer with another MVP-caliber day.
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer continues to have the best season of his 13-year NFL career, going off for 356 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in St. Louis. Wide receivers Michael Floyd and John Brown both had over 100 receiving yards, and rookie J.J. Nelson had his second touchdown catch in three games.
3. Defense steps up.
After the Cardinals yielded over 300 passing yards last week to backup 49ers QB Blaine Gabbert last weekend, cornerback Patrick Peterson called an all-defense meeting to help the unit get back on the right track. It's fair to say they did just that on Sunday, as the Cards held the slumping Rams to just 213 total yards. After having a big game against the Cards in Week 4, rookie RB Todd Gurley was held to just 41 rushing yards.
4. The Rams are this bad...
How bad has it gotten for the Rams during their five-game losing streak? Well...
YOU NEVER GO FULL RAM pic.twitter.com/0tyQ4fUDwC
— Dan Doelling (@daniel_doelling) December 6, 2015
5. Congrats, Fitz!
A big-time congratulations to Cards wide receiver and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald for reaching a pair of milestones Sunday. First, Fitz went over 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh time in his NFL career. Then, in the second half, he hit another crucial 1,000 mark.
That's 1,000 career receptions for @LarryFitzgerald! #AZvsSTL pic.twitter.com/7cKN9xQoLF
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 6, 2015
