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Ranking the Arizona Cardinals’ 2014 victories

Jan 8, 2015, 4:55 PM | Updated: Jan 12, 2015, 4:24 pm

Arizona Sports

Any season that does not end with a Super Bowl victory will go down as some kind of disappointment, and the Arizona Cardinals’ 2014 campaign is no different.

But most will remember this season for, if nothing else, the fun ride that it was.

Arizona was besieged by injuries for much of the season, yet continued to find ways to win. “Next man up” became both a mantra and a rallying cry, and it helped propel the Cardinals to 11 victories, a mark that is tied for the most in franchise history.

But how would you rank each of the wins? Here’s our shot.

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Week 8: Cardinals 24, Eagles 20 - Two of the NFC's best teams battled in Glendale, with the winner having an edge for playoff positioning. It was a back-and-forth affair, one the Eagles seemed to take charge of when Cody Parkey connected on a 20-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining to give the visitors a three-point lead. Less than a minute later, however, Carson Palmer hit John Brown for a 75-yard touchdown, and from there it was up to the defense to hang on. The Eagles pushed as far as the Arizona 16, but the Cardinals forced three incomplete passes, the last of which came as time expired.

Week 10: Cardinals 31, Rams 14 - Normally a home win over a team like St. Louis would not rank so high. However, this was no normal game. The Cardinals lost QB Carson Palmer to a knee injury in the fourth quarter while trailing 14-10. They could have gone in the tank from there, but instead responded by scoring 21 points in the game's final eight minutes by way of a 48-yard touchdown pass from Drew Stanton to John Brown, a pick-six from Patrick Peterson and a fumble return for a score by Antonio Cromartie.

Week 3: Cardinals 23, 49ers 14 - Arizona went into the game losers of four straight vs. San Francisco, and with Drew Stanton again at QB, many thought the streak would continue. However, he passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns while the defense, which looked bad in the first half while surrendering two touchdowns, pitched a shutout over the game's final 30 minutes and held on for the win.

Week 9: Cardinals 28, Cowboys 17 - It was a battle of two of the NFC's best teams, and if that wasn't enough, most Cards fans know about the history between them and the Cowboys. Arizona got off to a slow start, with Carson Palmer throwing a pick-six, but the QB rebounded to throw a trio of touchdown strikes while Arizona's defense held the Brandon Weeden-led Cowboys in check. Dallas running back DeMarco Murray, who had topped the 100-yard mark in every game of the season up to that point, was held to just 79 rushing yards

Week 15: Cardinals 12, Rams 6 - Most of the talk going into the game centered around the Rams' stingy defense, and to be fair to St. Louis, they didn't disappoint. However, Arizona's own D was even better, holding the Rams to just six points. Rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro made all four of his field goal attempts -- the longest a 51-yard boot in the third quarter -- and Arizona essentially secured its spot in the postseason.

Week 11: Cardinals 14, Lions 6 - In their first game since Carson Palmer was lost for the season with a torn ACL, Drew Stanton, who passed for 306 yards that day, threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes to Michael Floyd. It was all the offense Arizona would need, as the defense held Matthew Stafford to just 183 yards passing.

Week 1: Cardinals 18, Chargers 17 - Monday Night Football came to the desert for the season opener, and in a sign of what was to come, Arizona rallied in the fourth quarter, taking the lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to rookie John Brown. Palmer threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

Week 14: Cardinals 17, Chiefs 14 - Losers of two straight, Arizona returned home in desperate need of a win. The Cards went into halftime trailing 14-6, but the defense stiffened up gave the offense a chance to make a play. They did, and Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's fumble (which was recovered by Justin Bethel) helped preserve the victory.

Week 2: Cardinals 25, Giants 14 - The Cardinals hit the road and, just before kickoff, learned backup QB Drew Stanton would start in place of Carson Palmer. Stanton was solid enough, but it was Ted Ginn, Jr.'s 71-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave the Cards a lead they would not relinquish.

Week 6: Cardinals 30, Redskins 20 - Carson Palmer returned after a bout with nerve trouble in his right shoulder, passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was to Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz caught six passes for 98 yards on the afternoon.

Week 7: Cardinals 24, Raiders 13 - Quite simply, this was a game the Cardinals were supposed to win. In fact, the only bit of intrigue involved Carson Palmer facing the team that traded him to Arizona. He threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while Andre Ellington gained 160 all-purpose yards in the win.

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