ARIZONA CARDINALS

Carson Palmer’s 3-0 mark in Seattle: By the Numbers

Dec 26, 2016, 12:49 PM | Updated: Dec 27, 2016, 11:27 am

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) walks off the field after an NFL football game agai...

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In Seattle, if the Cardinals have QB Carson Palmer, they win.

It’s that simple.

Well, sort of.

With their 34-31 victory over the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 6-8-1 on the season, prevented Seattle from posting a perfect 8-0 record at home, and advanced to 3-1 in that stadium since 2013, which is when Bruce Arians and Palmer arrived.

The lone loss — which came in 2014 — was a game Palmer missed due to a torn ACL.

So, if the Cardinals have Palmer, they win.

“There’s no doubt, three times with Carson,” Arians said after the game when asked if the team has a certain level of confidence against the Seahawks with Palmer on the field. “We have been able to run the football good enough and Carson makes plays.”

Palmer, who is conversely 0-2-1 against the Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium, said he was not sure if the team’s success in one of the toughest buildings for a road team to play in proved beneficial Saturday.

“I don’t know. This was just one of those weeks where we felt like we were going to win,” he said. “To be 3-0 in this stadium, we take great pride in that. It’s very difficult to do. That was the motivation all week, for me at least.”

It’s an impressive mark, no doubt, especially when you consider that the Cardinals’ three wins equal the number of victories the rest of the NFL has had on the road in Seattle since 2013.

It may be shocking, then, to know that Palmer hasn’t exactly been great in the victories. With that in mind, here’s a look at Palmer’s 3-0 record in Seattle, By the Numbers:


1

Twice in three games Palmer has thrown just one touchdown pass, having done so in 2013 and 2016.

1 (part two)

Palmer has been fined once for making an obscene gesture toward the home crowd once, in 2015. (Side note: If he would have just danced, like teammate Drew Stanton, he probably would have been OK.)

2

Twice Palmer has led come-from-behind game-winning drives, with an 11-play, 80-yard effort in 2013 and an 11-play, 83-yard performance in 2015.

3

Palmer has thrown five touchdown passes to three different players, with Michael Floyd being the only recipient with more than one (three). The other two have gone to Jermaine Gresham and J.J. Nelson.

5

Palmer has thrown an equal number of interceptions against the Seahawks as he has touchdowns, though it’s worth noting that over the last two wins he has thrown four touchdowns against just one pick.

6

Though the Seahawks have a ferocious pass rush and Arizona’s offensive line has been far from dominant, Palmer has been sacked just six times in the three wins. Conversely, he’s been brought down 11 times in the two losses and one tie in Arizona.

17

Palmer has completed 17 passes to Larry Fitzgerald in the three wins, though 10 of those came in the 2015 victory. In 2013, Fitzgerald caught just 3 passes for 18 yards, and in 2016 he tallied 31 yards on four receptions.

45

Though he has thrown just two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the three wins, the Cardinals have scored 45 points in the final frame of the three wins with Palmer leading the way.

 59.2

Palmer has completed just 58-of-98 passes against the vaunted “Legion of Boom,” which is good enough for a completion percentage that is a few ticks below his career average of 62.6.

80

The longest pass Palmer has thrown in one of the three wins over Seattle was an 80-yard bomb to J.J. Nelson in 2016.

825

Palmer has amassed 825 yards, or an average of 275 per game. His high is 363, which he passed for in 2015, while the lowest output is 178, which he tallied in 2013.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) laughs as he talks with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse after an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Arizona Cardinals' Chandler Catanzaro (7) connects on a field goal as Matt Wile holds against the Seattle Seahawks to win on the final play of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro (7) reacts as teammates cheer after he kicked a winning field goal on the final play against the Seattle Seahawks in an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Arizona Cardinals congratulate Chandler Catanzaro (7) on his winning field goal on the final play against the Seattle Seahawks in an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka, left, and Arizona Cardinals free safety D.J. Swearinger (36) react after Hauschka missed a point after a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle.  (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson (31) scores his second one-yard run touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer) Seattle Seahawks' Doug Baldwin runs in for a touchdown on a pass reception as Arizona Cardinals' Brandon Williams (26) and Justin Bethel (28) follow in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks' Ahtyba Rubin, left, and Bobby Wagner tackle Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson on a carry by Johnson in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks' Tyler Lockett, right, catches the ball as Arizona Cardinals' Brandon Williams moves in for the tackle in the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson (31) scores on a one-yard run against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer) Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson (31) is congratulated by Jermaine Gresham after scoring against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer) Seattle Seahawks' Alex Collins carries against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer) Arizona Cardinals' J.J. Nelson (14) looks back as Seattle Seahawks' Steven Terrell, center, and Jeremy Lane tumble behind as he runs for a touchdown after a pass reception in the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws a touchdown pass agianst the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer) Arizona Cardinals' J.J. Nelson (14) looks back as Seattle Seahawks' Steven Terrell, center, and Jeremy Lane tumble behind as he runs for a touchdown after a pass reception in the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is upended as he keeps the ball on a touchdown attempt against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, center, is held back by Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) while retaining the ball on a touchdown-attempt in the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson tries to pass while being brought down by Arizona Cardinals' Sio Moore in the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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