Washington vs. Arizona Cardinals: Live Score and Analysis for Arizona

After a great first-half performance, the Arizona Cardinals offense stalled in the second half, relying on rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro and a vaunted defense to leave with a win.

Quarterback Carson Palmer started his first game since the season-opener on Monday Night Football and completed 28 of 44 passes (63.6 percent) for 250 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 93.9 passer rating. The Cardinals have not thrown an interception all season—now at five straight games, which is a franchise record.

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald finally broke free of his struggles, leading the team with six receptions for 98 yards (16.3 yards per catch) and his first touchdown of the season. Michael Floyd also hauled in his first score of the season, a 20-yard, first-quarter toss from Palmer that got the offense going.

The run game was not used as much as it could have been, but running back Andre Ellington still ended up with a career-high 19 carries, totaling 67 yards (3.5 yards per carry). Stepfan Taylor added three carries for 10 yards (3.3 YPC).

Coordinator Todd Bowles' defense played really well throughout. With the exception of a couple drives in which Washington gained chunks en route to scores, the secondary limited what quarterback Kirk Cousins and receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon did.

The big story on defense—other than four fourth-quarter turnovers caused—was the stifling of running back Alfred Morris. Washington's talented back ended with 13 carries for only 41 yards (3.2 YPC). His longest tote was a nine-yard gain in the first half.

Overall, the Cardinals move to 4-1 on the season. With the Dallas Cowboys (5-1) traveling to CenturyLink Field and beating the Seattle Seahawks (3-2), that means Arizona is now once again alone atop the NFC West standings.

After a hard-fought win, the crushing defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos in Week 5 is a distant memory. Palmer is back and completing passes at a high rate, and the offense is getting back on track. That helped the defense Sunday, and it will help the defense down the stretch as the weather gets colder.

4th Quarter	1	2	3	4	Score
Washington	0	13	0	7	20
Arizona	7	7	3	13	30