Packers vs. Cardinals: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Arizona Cardinals dominated on both sides of the ball as they coasted to a 38-8 win over the Green Bay Packers at home Sunday.    

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one of his worst games of the season, throwing for 151 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 15-of-28 passing. He often cut a melancholic figure, per NFL on CBS:

Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke gave Rodgers some leeway because of his supporting cast but didn't absolve the Pro Bowl quarterback of all the blame:

Still, Bleacher Report's Michelle Bruton argued Rodgers is forced to shoulder too much of the burden:

The Arizona front seven also wreaked havoc on Green Bay's offensive line, sacking Rodgers eight times and putting him under constant pressure. NFL.com's Michael Silver thinks the Packers should be asking big questions in the offseason:

Aided in part by its defense, the Arizona offense had little trouble moving the ball, totaling 381 yards for the game. Quarterback Carson Palmer was an efficient 18-of-27 for 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

After a first quarter in which neither team managed to score, the Cardinals exploded for 17 points in the second frame. Palmer accounted for two touchdowns, as he found wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown for six points each, and Chandler Catanzaro wedged in a 19-yard field goal between the pair of passing TDs.

A 17-point halftime deficit is by no means insurmountable, especially with any team that has Rodgers on its roster. But Green Bay shot itself in the foot on its first play from scrimmage at the start of the third quarter, per the NFL Network:

David Johnson made the most of the turnover, scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run to make it 24-0 in favor of the home side.

Cory Redding compounded the Packers' misery on Green Bay's next possession after Kareem Martin sacked Rodgers for a loss of 10 yards and forced a fumble. The 318-pound defensive lineman then picked up the ball and returned it 36 yards to the house, per the NFL:

The Cardinals had some fun with Redding's not-so-impressive leap across the goal line:

"

.@CRedd90 can get UP! #GBvsAZ pic.twitter.com/g74mfHr5HW

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 27, 2015"

As NFL Fantasy Football joked, discretion would've been the better part of valor on the play for running back Eddie Lacy:

The Packers finally got on the board with six minutes, 31 seconds left in the third quarter. Lacy caught a pass from Rodgers and scampered to the end zone. Green Bay converted for two points to make it a 31-8 game.

The Cardinals defense wasn't done scoring, though, as Jerraud Powers returned another fumble for a touchdown. Despite being down more than 30 points, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy kept Rodgers in the game, a decision that seemed a bit odd given both how the contest had unfolded to that point and how much Green Bay will need its QB in the final week of the regular season, per SportsPickle:

McCarthy eventually inserted backup Scott Tolzien into the game in the fourth quarter, and Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians called off the dogs by replacing Palmer with Drew Stanton.

The win secures the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the Cardinals.

Arizona looked like a Super Bowl contender last year before losing Carson Palmer, which killed any title chance in 2014. Now, the team is without safety Tyrann Mathieu for the remainder of the 2015 campaign.

Mathieu is one of the Cardinals' best defenders, but he may not be as important to the squad as Palmer was in 2014. Of course, it helps having Patrick Peterson at cornerback to compensate for the absence of Mathieu.

With the way Arizona's offense is performing, the NFC West champions will be a difficult matchup for anybody in the postseason.

The same may not be said of the Packers, who continue to be uneven from week to week; no 10-win team has looked more unconvincing in 2015.

And Green Bay has some serious problems offensively that go beyond missing wideout Jordy Nelson. Unless McCarthy irons those issues out—which is nearly impossible between now and the postseason—the Packers are destined for an early playoff exit.

Postgame Reaction

"Ugly loss to a very good football team," said McCarthy after the game, per the Packers. "The most important thing is how we respond to this. Shift gears in the morning."

"Over the years we've had ups and downs and galvanized over an idea," said Rodgers. "Everything is still in front of us. Have to hold serve at home."

Since they can finish no worse than second in the conference, the Cardinals might have a stronger incentive to keep their best players healthy ahead of the playoffs rather than giving a full effort in Week 17.

Arians admitted after Sunday's game that he's considering resting a handful of stars, telling reporters, "We're talking about three, four guys, not nine or 10," per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

Arians also wants his team focused on the road ahead rather than what it has accomplished so far this year.

"You don't get any rings for byes," he said, per Urban. "You don't even get T-shirts and hats."