Cardinals vs. Rams: Score and Twitter Reaction from Thursday Night Football

A physical NFC West engagement between the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams won't quiet Thursday Night Football critics, mostly due to the lack of offensive fireworks on display at the Edward Jones Dome.

Despite a shaky quarterback situation that appears to have gotten even worse in Week 15, Arizona found a way to win yet again. The Cardinals managed a 12-6 victory, improved to 11-3 on the season and solidified their status atop the NFC for at least one more week.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager alluded to the playoff implications:

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal lauded Arizona's effort, as All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson iced the game with an interception as time expired:

An upgraded running game led by Kerwynn Williams (15 carries, 75 yards) and Stepfan Taylor (14 carries, 61 yards) helped take the pressure off a floundering Cardinals passing attack, which was mitigated by a vaunted St. Louis pass rush.

That also led to a right knee injury for Arizona starting QB Drew Stanton in the third quarter, his team leading 6-3:

Comcast SportsNet's John Middlekauff had a particularly strong reaction to the situation:

But as has been the case all year when something hasn't gone the Cardinals' way, there were enough players to find a way to make a positive impact. Following the game, coach Bruce Arians praised the collective rally his team put forth, via CBS5 Arizona's Mark McClune:

The defense did well to shut down the Rams, who had outscored their prior two opponents by a combined 76-0 with Shaun Hill at quarterback.

Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times praised Arizona's defenders for being fundamentally sound and minimizing the damage done in space:

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how exotic pressures devised by opposing defensive coordinator Todd Bowles kept Hill off balance, which contributed to a rare outcome:

Cardinals.com's Darren Urban praised how Arizona kicker Chandler Catanzaro bounced back to help his team earn another victory, capitalizing on the scarce scoring opportunities the offense could muster:

What may have been lost in the clutter of anemic offenses was a notable milestone achieved by Pro Bowl wideout Larry Fitzgerald, who finished with a game-high seven receptions but for just 30 yards:

Throwing the ball was difficult enough for Stanton, who was 12-of-20 passing for 109 yards and exited the game due to a hit suffered on pressure from Rams rookie stud Aaron Donald.

Ryan Lindley took the reins of the Cardinals offense and did very little in completing four of 10 throws for 30 yards. Williams and Taylor shared the backfield workload to keep Arizona afloat, with the former being the most impressive over the past two contests.

NFL.com's Chris Wesseling liked the upgrade he saw in Williams' production from prior starter Andre Ellington, who was out due to a foot injury:

Louis Riddick of ESPN expressed a similar sentiment in his analysis of Williams, a 2013 seventh-round draft choice out of Utah State:

The good news is that the Cardinals are into the postseason with Thursday's triumph, barring a bizarre tie between Philadelphia and Dallas. How far they can get remains to be seen with such a tenuous quarterback depth chart.

But with Arians roaming the sidelines, Arizona evidently has a chance, as Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe suggests:

CBS personality Doug Gottlieb offered his input on what the Cardinals should do about their all-important QB problem:

"

Favre or Kurt Warner? Seriously... Why not #Cardinals

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) December 12, 2014"

If Stanton is indeed out for the foreseeable future, it either falls on Lindley or rookie fourth-round draft pick Logan Thomas to man the most important position on the field. Thomas is the more talented of the two, yet he is so raw that he was passed over in Week 15 for a player in Lindley who's thrown zero touchdowns and seven interceptions in his NFL career.

Extra time to prepare will help Arizona's cause. A matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, even at home, will be a daunting task no matter who is under center for the Cardinals.

All the Rams can really do at this point is play for pride, try to win out and salvage an 8-8 record. They have shown flashes of being a playoff-caliber team this year by defeating the likes of Seattle and Denver, yet St. Louis is still a player or two away from being a true contender to be reckoned with in the NFC West.