Behind Enemy Lines: Tennessee Titans
Dec 9, 2013, 10:57 PM | Updated: Dec 15, 2013, 5:05 pm
The Arizona Cardinals are back in the win column.
After a disheartening loss in Philadelphia, the Cardinals responded with a complete dismantling of the St. Louis Rams, earning a 30-10 win in Glendale.
Quarterback Carson Palmer had one of his best outings of the season, completing his first 11 passes and finishing 27-of-32 for 269 yards and a touchdown.
The win was the team’s first over an NFC West opponent since Week 1 in 2012 when Arizona beat Seattle 20-16.
The defense led the Cardinals’ charge, highlighted by an interception-returned-for-touchdown by linebacker Karlos Dansby. Safety Rashad Johnson also added a pick off Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens.
It wasn’t all good news, however, as breakout rookie safety Tyrann Mathieu injured both his ACL and LCL in his left knee. The injury ends Mathieu’s season, and a return date has yet to be determined.
Arizona stayed in the playoff hunt with the victory, though the road remains tough. The Cardinals trail San Francisco and Carolina for the wild card spots by one game with three to play. While the Cardinals hold a tiebreaker over Carolina, the 49ers would advance if the two teams finished with the same record at the end of the season.
The Cardinals can get another crucial win this weekend when they travel to Tennessee to face the 5-8 Titans. After a promising start to the season, the Titans lost starting quarterback Jack Locker for the season to a Lisfranc injury and backup Ryan Fitzpatrick has struggled in his place.
Tennessee is reeling having lost two straight, including a 51-28 blowout to the Denver Broncos Sunday, and is clinging to very faint AFC playoff hopes.
This week we’ll check in on what’s going on Behind Enemy Lines in Nashville leading up to the game.
