But some positive did come from his performance against the Rams. After enduring the kind of pounding he received from St. Louis' pass rush during the Cardinals' 14-point defeat, the sixth-year veteran proved he had plenty to offer in the toughness department-- an issue plenty questioned during his rough showing in the preseason.

"When you get hit as many times as [Kolb] did, he battled his tail off," head coach Ken Whisenhunt told Arizona Sports 620's Doug & Wolf. "You respect that, and he certainly answered the question about his durability and being able to handle that."

Whisenhunt went on to say that Kolb's toughness -- which was publicly questioned by Raiders' defensive lineman Tommy Kelly following a Cardinals' win back in August -- was never an issue in the locker room and didn't need to be validated by the brutal punishment he faced in the team's worst offensive performance since 2004.

"I wish he never had to answer that question," said Whisenhunt. "Especially in the way that he did."

Kolb finished 28-for-50 with 289 passing yards and no interceptions, but his opportunities were few and far between in the second half due to poor pass protection and little threat from the run game.

"I sure hope not," said Whisenhunt in response to a question on whether Kolb's night in St. Louis was a good thing for him long-term. "I don't hope that it's ever a good thing that your quarterback gets beat up and has to go through that."

Next up for Kolb and Co. is a date with the Buffalo Bills Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Bills have given up 97 points over the last two weeks and are the first team since 1950 to give up 550 yards of total offense in consecutive games.