Cardinals Improve to 9-1 for 2nd Time Ever, 1st Time Since 1948

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Detroit Lions by a score of 14-6 on Sunday, improving to 9-1 for the first time since 1948, back when the franchise was still in Chicago, per Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910.

In their first game since quarterback Carson Palmer was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, the Cardinals unsurprisingly got things done with defense, holding the Lions to 262 total yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Quarterback Drew Stanton filled in capably, making up for a pair of interceptions by completing 21 of his 32 pass attempts for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Veteran wide receiver Michael Floyd accounted for both of those touchdowns, while rookie wide receiver John Brown caught a team-high five passes for a team-high 69 yards.

While mostly respectable since the end of the 2006 season, the Cardinals have largely struggled during their time in Arizona, with just three playoff appearances to show for 27 seasons, though a fourth is seemingly right around the corner.

The franchise hadn't fared any better in St. Louis, where the Cardinals made just three postseason appearances in 28 seasons from 1960 to 1987.

Even in Chicago, the Cardinals were no great franchise, making just three championship-game appearances from 1920 to 1959.

One of those appearances came in 1948, when the Cardinals went 11-1 in the regular season but were then unable to defend their NFL championship from the previous year, falling 7-0 to the Philadelphia Eagles in a remarkably low-scoring title game.

This year's Cardinals would likely be comfortable in such a game, as they'll need to rely on defense more than ever with Palmer ruled out for the season.