Cardinals vs. Rams: Postgame Grades and Notes for Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals put together a clean, efficient performance in dispatching the St. Louis Rams 27-3 on Sunday afternoon.

The win avenged one of Arizona's two losses on the season, a 24-22 home defeat in Week 4.

As has been the trend in recent weeks, the Cardinals got off to a modest start, taking an unconvincing 10-0 lead into halftime. They picked up the pace after the half, sparked by a 10-play, 98-yard drive in the third quarter that put them out of contact.

Carson Palmer led the way with 356 yards passing and two touchdowns, while running backs David Johnson and Kerwynn Williams combined for 158 yards on the ground. The Cardinals defense held St. Louis to just 212 yards of offense.

The win pushes Arizona's record to 10-2, virtually ensures the Cardinals a postseason appearance and also puts them in the driver's seat for the second seed in the NFC.

Click ahead for the full recap.  

Position Grades for Arizona

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Quarterback: A-

With the exception of one poor throw that should have been intercepted, Carson Palmer was very good against St. Louis. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 356 yards, two scores and no interceptions.

More important than his accurate passing was Palmer's leadership skills. He immediately consoled Kerwynn Williams after the running back fumbled a kickoff out of bounds on the 2-yard line. Palmer's support could really give some of the team's younger players a boost down the stretch.

Running Backs: B+

Both David Johnson and the aforementioned Williams shone against St. Louis, with both providing big plays and taking advantage of the room granted to them by the offensive line. In addition, they each found the end zone.

Ball security is a concern, however, as both players lost fumbles out of bounds.

Wide Receivers: A+

This might have been the best performance we've seen from the receiver group all season. John Brown and Michael Floyd both went over 100 yards, Larry Fitzgerald hauled in eight passes and J.J. Nelson chipped in with a 22-yard touchdown catch.

All four of those guys stepped up and made strong individual plays when their number was called. They were the biggest difference in this game. 

Offensive Line/Tight Ends: B

This was a massive improvement over what we've seen in recent weeks up front from Arizona's offensive line. They opened holes in the running game and kept Palmer upright for most of the game.

Of St. Louis' defensive linemen, only Aaron Donald made significant noise, and that's just something you're going to have to live with unless you're going to hire Donald Trump to oversee the offensive line and maybe build a giant wall.

Defensive Line: B

Probably as good as you can hope for given the circumstances. While only Ed Stinson can count as a disruptive influence on the game, the defensive line as a whole didn't give ground in the running game.

Todd Gurley managed only 41 yards on nine carries, 34 of which came on one play in the second half. Solid game for this depleted group.

Linebackers: B

Arizona's linebackers didn't have a whole lot to do, but they were involved enough to turn in a mistake-free performance. You'd like to see your linebackers make plays, but sometimes there just aren't any plays to be made.

Deone Bucannon stood out the most, making a couple of nifty stops in the run game and frustrating Jared Cook in coverage. 

Secondary: A

St. Louis' passing game isn't going to scare anyone, but Arizona's secondary still went ahead and put a muzzle on it anyway. With the exception of a Kenny Britt leaping grab, the Cardinals defensive backs kept the Rams receivers in their pockets all game.

Thrust into a starting role due to Jerraud Powers' absence, Justin Bethel more than held his own in coverage. St. Louis tried picking on him, but they couldn't beat the fourth-year corner for much.

Special Teams: C+

Minus Kerwynn Williams' boneheaded fumble in the third quarter, Arizona's special teams unit didn't do anything to hurt the team's chances of winning. Chandler Catanzaro converted all of his kicks and Tavon Austin was limited to one relatively big play, a 29-yard punt return.

Still, Cardinals fans saw what their team is missing when Rams punter Johnny Hekker placed five punts inside the 20-yard line.

Coaching: B+

This was a "win and move on to next week" game, and Arizona delivered that kind of performance. It didn't do anything special; it just took care of business.

Some credit is due to Bruce Arians and James Bettcher for putting Patrick Peterson on Tavon Austin, effectively eliminating the wide receiver from the game. 

A Milestone for Larry Fitzgerald

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Larry Fitzgerald needed eight catches on Sunday to reach 1,000 for his career, and he delivered with a seven-yard reception in the fourth quarter. That catch made Fitzgerald the youngest of the 11 players in NFL history to reach the milestone.

Fitzgerald is now tied with Hines Ward for 10th all time on the receptions list, although Dallas' Jason Witten could overtake both on Monday night. Witten has 998 receptions for his career.

Up next for Fitzgerald (and Witten) is former Rams great Isaac Bruce, who had 1,024 catches in his storied career. 

Also of note, Fitzgerald went over 1,000 yards receiving for the seventh time in his career. The eight catches on the day gave him 91 for the season, just 12 short of his career high of 103, a mark set in his second season. 

David Johnson, Running Game Get Going

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Rarely does a team receive a boost when it's forced to turn to its third- and fourth-string anything, but that's exactly what happened to Arizona's run game on Sunday.

With Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington injured, David Johnson and Kerwynn Williams both delivered strong performances. 

Johnson, a rookie, compiled 99 yards and added a receiving touchdown in his first career start. Williams, serving as backup, chipped in with 59 yards of his own, including a 35-yard touchdown run, the first of his career.

While both backs were helped by better blocking than either Chris Johnson or Ellington has received in recent weeks, their ability to get downhill immediately served them well. Johnson and Williams took the yards available to them and created bigger gains through broken and missed tackles. 

This may just have been the spark Arizona's running game needed. 

Arizona Improves Playoff Position

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Week 13 was very kind to Arizona's playoff outlook. It even got a helping hand from division rival Seattle. Here's how things look:

NFC West

The win over St. Louis means Arizona maintains its three-game lead over Seattle, with four games remaining on the schedule. The two teams will play each other in the final week of the regular season, although Arizona will hope to have the division wrapped up long before Week 17.

Arizona's "magic number" to clinch the division is two, although it can also clinch with a Seattle loss to St. Louis in Week 16 thanks to its superior record within the division. 

Race for the second seed in the NFC

Seattle's win over Minnesota gave Arizona a two-game lead over the Vikings and Packers for the second seed in the NFC. 

Arizona has dates with both Minnesota and Green Bay remaining on its schedule, with the Vikings in town this Thursday and the Packers coming to the desert on December 27th. 

The Cardinals can now afford to split those two games and maintain hold of the second seed if they can beat Philadelphia and Seattle in their remaining schedule. A 14-2 record is clearly the goal, but they've been granted some breathing room down the stretch.

Of course, there is no rest for the weary, as the Cardinals and Vikings have only three days to prepare for Thursday's pivotal contest.