Rams vs. Cardinals: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Arizona

All good things must come to an end.

After getting off to a historic start to the season, the Arizona Cardinals came crashing down to earth in Week 4, losing 24-22 at home to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

Rookie David Johnson set the tone for the game when he fumbled the opening kick return, and things only got slippier from there. The Cardinals would commit three turnovers on the day, leading to 17 St. Louis points.

When Arizona did manage to hold onto the football, it failed to finish drives. Carson Palmer struggled throughout the game, as the team settled for field goals in its first four trips into the red zone before finally breaking through in the fourth quarter.

The Rams' normally tepid offense kicked into high gear in the second half, with rookie running back Todd Gurley formally introducing himself to the league with 146 rushing yards. St. Louis' offense kept Arizona's comeback attempt at bay.

The loss drops Arizona's record to 3-1 and narrows its lead in the NFC West to one game over the Rams, with the Seattle Seahawks in position to draw level with St. Louis on Monday night. 

Click ahead for the full recap. 

Position Grades for Arizona

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

QB	C
RB	B-
WR	A-
TE	B-
OL	C+
DL	C-
LB	C+
DB	C+
Special Teams	B
Coaching	C+

One of those games, eh? None of the groups was particularly poor, but none really stood out, either. In fact, the grading is nearly the definition of a mixed bag.

In a sloppy game, things were actually a bit messier on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary lost track of Stedman Bailey for a brief moment in the third quarter, leading to his touchdown. Elsewhere, no one seemed able to keep up with Tavon Austin.

The real shock, however, was the defensive line. Beyond Calais Campbell, it's hard to say any of them made a sizable contribution to the game. As a whole, they were thoroughly outplayed by the Rams offensive line in the second half. Arizona needs the front three to dominate the trenches, and they failed in that regard on Sunday.

There was more of an even split on offense.

Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd all turned in good-to-great performances. Brown was a threat from the first snap, while Fitzgerald turned in one of the steadier 99-yard games you'll see. Floyd at last got into the action with five receptions after catching just two passes in the previous three games.

Chris and David Johnson had a "yin and yang" thing going at running back, although not in the way that teams generally prefer. While Chris had his second consecutive strong outing, David had himself a nightmare, fumbling the opening kick return and often looking lost as a receiver. 

The C-plus is harsh on the coaching staff, but it's difficult to argue they deserved a higher mark when they were outcoached by Jeff Fisher and company. Arizona had no answer for Austin and could not come up with a solution for the Rams running game in the second half. 

Bruce Arians on the Loss

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We're going to switch up the order of the slides and lead with the notable quote this week. Arians said everything that needed to be said about the game in one seven-second byte on the podium:

"You're not going to win very many games kicking field goals in the red zone and losing the turnover battle, especially in our division."

Arizona had twice as many first downs as St. Louis. It accumulated 119 more yards of offense and committed four fewer penalties. The Cardinals didn't play bad football, and the Rams aren't the better team.

The final score was a result of two things. One team made mistakes while the other did not. One team made plays while the other did not. 

Arizona was the former team, St. Louis was the latter. 

Losing a home game against a division rival is always a step back. Given how Arizona played in the first three weeks of the season, that step looks more like a hop, skip and a jump. 

But there's no reason to overreact—a point so important to this slide it got the bold font treatment. The Rams didn't expose a glaring flaw. Arizona lost because it turned the ball over and couldn't make the big plays when it needed them. 

While it's true good teams find ways to win games like this, they more often lose games like this. Arizona lost this one. It happens. Next Sunday they get to play another game. 

Carson Palmer Is Fallible

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Carson Palmer was due for a day like this.

After winning nine consecutive starts, and 16 of his last 18, the Cardinals lost with No. 3 under center. And, as Palmer himself said after the game (h/t to the team's official Twitter account), he was a big reason why they lost the game.

"I didn't make enough plays for us to win. As the quarterback that's what you have to do."

Palmer struggled with his accuracy throughout the game and made some questionable throws into double coverage, one of which was intercepted by Janoris Jenkins. He had a chance to engineer a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, but he missed an open David Johnson on fourth down, effectively ending any chance at redemption.

Palmer's not the first quarterback to have a bad day against this St. Louis defense, and he won't be the last. He was under constant pressure and hit often.

There are two keys going forward. First, Bruce Arians and Harold Goodwin need to find a way to keep him on his feet. This is the second week in a row Palmer's taken a beating in the pocket, and that can't continue. It's hard to imagine any quarterback holding up under this kind of pressure, let alone a 35-year-old coming off of his second major knee injury.

The second piece that needs adjustment is Palmer's decision-making. It's OK to try and push the ball down the field, but you've got to make the right reads. Palmer's gotten into a habit of throwing the deep ball into double coverage this season, something that needs to be nipped in the bud quickly. 

Run Defense Goes Missing

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If there's anything to be slightly alarmed by in this loss, it's probably Arizona's inability to stop the run in the second half.

After holding Matt Forte and Carlos Hyde to a combined 112 yards on 30 carries, the Cardinals conceded 144 yards on the ground to Todd Gurley...in just one half. 

St. Louis' offensive line had no trouble creating running lanes against what is normally a very stout Arizona front seven, while Gurley showed exactly why he was one of the most hyped running backs to enter the draft in recent years. 

A lot of the credit deservedly goes to Gurley, who was decisive, explosive and powerful, but expect every offensive coordinator on the Cardinals' schedule to take an extensive look at the game film to see why Arizona struggled so badly. Any weakness will be exposed. 

Running Back Situation Grows a Bit Cloudy

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One thing that's rapidly becoming clear is that Chris Johnson is the best pure runner on the Cardinals roster. 

The 30-year-old ran for 83 yards on 16 carries against one of the best run defenses in the game, just one week after compiling 150 yards from scrimmage against San Francisco. While Andre Ellington's status remains unknown for next Sunday, it's going to be difficult for Arians to cut back on Johnson's workload. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum is David Johnson. Via Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki, Arians said Johnson "played like a rookie" against St. Louis, which seems inarguable. He fumbled the opening kick return and struggled with consistency in the passing game, although he did score a touchdown.

The third-round pick is likely to be in line for a reduced role in the coming weeks, and it's possible the coaching staff simply slots Ellington in his role.

Expect to see some juggling and experimenting when Ellington does return from injury. Regardless, for the first time in a long time, the Cardinals running game is in good shape.