The Arizona Cardinals feared the worst on Thursday night when quarterback Drew Stanton first limped off the field and then was carted into the locker room after suffering a knee injury against the St. Louis Rams.
For the now 11-win Cardinals, it appeared that a season of injury issues had manifested itself against the very same team that saw Carson Palmer tear his ACL just weeks earlier.
Luckily for Stanton and the Cardinals, it appears that the veteran quarterback did not suffer structural damage to his knee and is considered week-to-week.
Head coach Bruce Arians selected Ryan Lindley to replace Stanton in the lineup over rookie Logan Thomas. Neither would have really stood much of a chance in Arizona’s final two regular season games and likely would have led to an early exit from the playoffs. And while Stanton has not been setting the world on fire since replacing Palmer in the lineup, he’s a much better option moving forward.
Depending on Seattle’s game against San Francisco, the Cardinals will start Week 16 with either a one game or a two game lead in the NFC West. They will also clinch a playoff spot unless Philadelphia and Dallas tie on Sunday afternoon.
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