Bengals vs. Cardinals: Postgame Grades and Notes for Arizona

A Chandler Catanzaro 32-yard field goal with two seconds remaining was the difference as the Arizona Cardinals topped the Cincinnati Bengals 34-31 Sunday night.

Carson Palmer, who struggled badly in the first half, engineered a lead-reclaiming fourth-quarter drive for the second consecutive week.

Palmer's first-half issues permitted the Bengals to take control of the game early. While Palmer was getting picked off twice, Andy Dalton was leading lengthy scoring drives to stake Cincinnati to a 14-7 halftime lead.

Palmer and the offense rallied in the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Touchdowns from rookies J.J. Nelson and David Johnson bookended a John Brown score during the rally.

Despite relentless pressure for the Cardinals defense, the Bengals managed to regain their footing in the fourth quarter, drawing level on a Mike Nugent field goal with just over a minute remaining.

Faced with the prospect of overtime, the Cardinals offense took three plays to get into scoring position and put the game away.

The win improved Arizona's record to 8-2 on the season. The Cardinals maintained their three-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West, while also moving a game ahead of the Minnesota Vikings for the second seed in the playoffs.

Click ahead for the full recap, including position grades and postgame injury notes.

Position Grades for Arizona

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Position Grades

Quarterback: B+

As bad as Palmer was in the first half, he was just as good, if not better, in the second half. Palmer's two first-half interceptions were offset by his three second-half touchdowns, and his game-winning drive was a masterclass.

We'll have more on Palmer later in the slideshow.

Running backs: C+

"Nondescript" seems about the right word to describe Arizona's running backs on Sunday night. If not for David Johnson's first-half fumble and second-half touchdown, the running backs would hardly be worth mentioning.

Chris Johnson was held to 63 yards on 18 carries, while Andre Ellington managed a whopping seven yards on three touches (including one reception). They didn't have much room to operate, but they also didn't do a lot to help their situation.

Wide Receivers: B+

Sane arguments could be made for this group deserving a better grade, but it's docked a few points for playing against a badly banged-up Cincinnati secondary. Still, the receivers did everything that was expected of them.

Larry Fitzgerald was his usual productive self, while John Brown gave an admirable effort despite two bum hamstrings. J.J. Nelson was the true star, filling in for the injured Michael Floyd. The rookie had a night to remember, scoring his first career touchdown and hauling in four passes for 142 yards.

Tight Ends: B- 

Darren Fells' first-half touchdown was big for the offense, but beyond that the tight ends weren't asked to do much. They didn't do a lot in the running game, but they didn't have any "uh oh" moments, either.

Offensive Line: B

A curve may have subconsciously been introduced to this grade, but given the circumstances, the offensive line played well. With Jonathan Cooper out and Mike Iupati in and out of the game in the first half, the line managed to tread water.

The line didn't play well in the run game, but it wasn't completely lame. The big points come in the passing game, where Palmer was only hit five times. That's a massive achievement for this group. 

Defensive Line: B+

This was a solid performance from a group that got a lot of help from defensive coordinator James Bettcher throughout the night. For the most part, the front three held their ground and occupied blockers, allowing the linebackers to shine.

Dwight Freeney logged his third sack of the season, while Rodney Gunter earned the first sack of his young career.

Linebackers: A-

For the first time all season, the linebackers receive the glory. The forgotten unit of the Cardinals defense was asked to bring pressure on Sunday night, and it stepped up big time.

Bettcher called blitz after blitz, and Deone Bucannon, Kevin Minter and Markus Golden seemingly lived in Cincinnati's backfield throughout the game. Other teams blitz better, but this is as good as we're going to see from this group.

Defensive Backs: C+

Not quite the performance we're used to seeing from the secondary. Patrick Peterson was a stud, but Jerraud Powers and Justin Bethel both had uneven games.

The safeties, meanwhile, didn't get burnt at any point, but they didn't make any plays, either. 

Special Teams: B-

A relatively quiet night gave way to an eventful final few minutes for Arizona's special teams. 

With Arizona up by 10 with just over six minutes to play, the Cardinals' kickoff-coverage unit opened the door for a Cincinnati comeback by permitting Brandon Tate's 58-yard return. The Bengals would capitalize on the gift by scoring a few minutes later.

Chandler Catanzaro, however, secured both the victory for Arizona and a positive grade for special teams with his game-winning field goal.

Coaches: B+

There may not be a more stubborn staff in the league, but at this point it's getting hard to knock it.

Bettcher's defensive game plan wasn't without flaw, but it was creative and just effective enough to help Arizona earn the victory. The offense trotted out the same game plan we've seen every week, and, well, we know it works.

The real plaudits are reserved for whatever Bruce Arians said at halftime. The Cardinals did not play well in the first half, but they came out with purpose in the second half. Not only does Arians have his team focused on the big picture, but he also knows how to get them re-focused in the middle of a game. That's a special quality.

Frostee Rucker and Patrick Peterson Injured

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Add two more names to Arizona's extensive injury list. Both Frostee Rucker and Patrick Peterson had to leave the game early with ankle injuries.

The extent of both injuries is unknown.

Rucker missed a significant chunk of the game, while Peterson was forced to exit late in the fourth quarter. After shutting down A.J. Green for much of the game, Peterson had to watch the final few minutes from the sideline.

As Arizona's top corner, Peterson's injury is much more worrisome. Justin Bethel would likely be his replacement in the starting lineup should he be forced to miss time, although it's possible Tyrann Mathieu could play outside all game.

We'll keep an eye on the status of both players during the week.

Arizona's Rookies Make Their Presence Known

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Sunday night was a big night for Arizona's rookie class. And before you get your hopes up, no, first-round pick D.J. Humphries did not feature.

Wide receiver J.J. Nelson, selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, was the breakout star of the night. Filling in for Michael Floyd, Nelson helped open up Cleveland's defense, catching four passes forr 142 yards and a 64-yard touchdown.

While Nelson was busy scoring his first career touchdown, running back David Johnson, the Cardinals' third-round pick, was scoring his seventh touchdown on the season. He's now tied with Larry Fitzgerald for the team lead.

On defense, linebacker Markus Golden had the best night of his young career. The second-round pick created havoc throughout the game and notched a strip-sack of Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter.

Last but not least, fourth-round pick Rodney Gunter picked up the first sack of his career. 

While we won't know just how good this rookie class will ultimately be, it's clear general manager Steve Keim imported a bunch of talent onto his roster. The future is bright.

The Two Faces of Carson Palmer

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The folks running the Cardinals team shop ought to consider selling a Carson Palmer version of the Greek drama masks signifying comedy and tragedy. 

For the second consecutive week, Palmer rebounded from multiple turnovers to lead the Cardinals to a thrilling victory. It might be fair to suggest that some Arizona fans could do with a less dramatic performance, however.

A woeful first half that featured two bad interceptions gave way to an explosive third quarter, which was marked by three touchdown passes. Palmer saved his best for the game's final drive.

With the game tied, Arizona out of timeouts and only 58 seconds left on the clock, Palmer orchestrated one of the most ruthless and incisive game-winning drives you'll ever see. The Cardinals went 57 yards on three plays, taking only 38 seconds to put themselves in field-goal position.

Coupled with his fourth-quarter performance against Seattle in Week 10, Palmer has proven more than willing to drag the Cardinals back from the brink. Now all he needs to do is stop putting his team in that position to begin with.