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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Following the final play of Arizona’s 13-10 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, it was easy to tell Cardinals coach Bruce Arians wasn’t quite basking in the delight of evening his record at 2-2.

He had called the simplest -- and most gratifying -- of plays for a coach: the kneel down. Except it wasn’t simple against the Bucs and coach Greg Schiano. Tampa Bay rushed the Cards’ first kneel down, knocking down Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer on the play. And the Bucs rushed again on the second kneel down, which ran out the clock.

Arians wasn’t happy. He barely shook hands with Schiano and had some words for a Tampa Bay assistant coach, according to a replay of the game.

“That’s their style,” Arians said Monday. “I have no comment on it.”

But some Bucs fans did.

One fan called into Schiano’s radio show Monday and told him the move was “bush league,” according to JoeBucsFan.com.

Schiano, as expected, responded, saying he leaves the decision to rush the kneel down up to his players. He also admitted it’s never worked in the NFL. And he wants people to stop complaining.

Here’s Schiano’s entire response, per JoeBucsFan.com:

“I can say it’s misunderstood. Maybe I’m misunderstood. Who knows? But there’s a couple of things that I can tell you. No. 1, it’s an organized play. It isn’t just a mayhem of diving.

“Has it worked here yet in the NFL? No. Has it worked before? Sure. It’s worked or I wouldn’t do it. You know, we’ve caused several balls to be put on the ground in the past in doing this. And there’s a technique, a series of techniques that are involved.

“But most importantly, you know, I want everybody to know, our players, I ask our players, ‘If we don’t want to do this, we don’t do it.’ I mean, that’s where I am. I’m not going to force guys. Because is there always a risk involved? Sure. I mean there’s always a risk involved when you’re hitting other people. And I’m talking about a risk for our players.

“But, you know, when your players believe it can give you an opportunity, now why do they believe? Because they’ve seen the video. They’ve seen the ball on the ground in a situation that that shouldn’t happen. So I think that they understand if done correctly, there’s a good opportunity. …

“When it’s a one-score opportunity, and especially a field goal opportunity and there’s time left to do it, that’s part of our beliefs. And guys can disagree with it, call it, you know, there’s no bush league to it. You know it’s coming. And if anybody saw it, Gerald McCoy was shaking his head telling [Arizona], ‘We’re coming.’ So I mean, you know what, run the play. If there’s time on the clock, run the play. I’d like people to quit complaining, and that’s what we’re going to do, and get ready for it.”

Schiano said he won’t force his players to do it, but he’s not forcing them to stop, either. Arians is a veteran of this league. Schiano, well, is not. There are unwritten rules that are followed. This is another example of Schiano trying to bring a college gimmick to the NFL, and like mostly everything else, it doesn’t look like it’s working.

A weekly examination of the Cardinals' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 26 | Last Week: 22 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

So maybe Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was on to something when he said it doesn’t matter how his team wins, as long as it wins. The Cardinals pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback in Tampa Bay to cap a 13-10 win in an ugly game. But style points don’t count in the NFL, and the win helped Arizona move up three places in this week’s ESPN.com Power Rankings. Last week in Sarasota, Fla., offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin talked about the offense showing flashes, but that’s all it’s done. But during those flashes, the Cardinals have displayed how powerful Arians’ new offense can be, which is not a secret around the NFL. The Cardinals moved the ball with ease on two drives in the third quarter, but they were derailed by Carson Palmer interceptions. This team has the pieces, it’s just a matter of the players figuring out how to make them work. Arians said Monday he has never seen a team take so long to figure out his offense, which he labeled as “putrid.” If “putrid” means a win, it can only go up from here.

A review of four hot issues from the Arizona Cardinals' 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Offense needs work: Arizona''s offense struggled to move the ball last season, and it seems to be carrying over into the Bruce Arians era. The offense seems to get stuck in the mud and spin its tires for most of the game until it gets a light nudge from the defense or one of its receivers. And, as much as the Cardinals have talked about fixing the problems, the same things keep happening. Arizona didn’t convert a third down in the first half and was 1-for-10 overall. Six of their 10 third downs, including the one conversion, were for 10 yards or less. The Cardinals managed just 87 yards of total offense in the first half, and they were lucky to win. Since 2001, the Cards are 20-47 when totaling less than 100 yards in either half, according to ESPN Stats & Information. There could be a simple fix, but it’s a matter of finding out exactly what’s wrong.

Run D showed up: No wonder the defensive line wanted to know how many rushing yards it allowed right after the game. The Cardinals held Bucs running back Doug Martin to 45 yards on 27 carries, his lowest total of the season and the lowest of his career when he has 27 or more carries. Martin is averaging 137 yards per game in the four contests in which he has 27 carries or more. According Mark Dalton, Arizona’s vice president of media relations, with information from the Elias Sports Bureau, Martin is the eighth player to have 45 or fewer yards on 25 or more carries since 1935.

Fitz needs to be fed: As Carson Palmer attempted each pass during the first half, none of which were intended for Larry Fitzgerald, the shock spread. Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first two quarters for the first time since Week 16 of 2010 against the Dallas Cowboys, when the Cardinals also squeezed out a win, 27-26, according to ESPN Stats & Information. As soon as Fitzgerald was worked into the game plan Sunday, Arizona moved the ball with ease because it put the Bucs on alert.

Injuries hurt defense: If the Cardinals weren’t decimated on defense already after New Orleans on Sept. 22, they might not want to go into the training room Monday. Arizona lost three more players to injuries, all at key positions. Linebacker Vic So'oto left the game with a possible concussion. Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett left with a groin injury, as did linebacker Jasper Brinkley. This is on top of the rash of injuries suffered two weekends ago and the loss of Dan Williams for the game. So’oto’s injury could be more serious than the others, but Dockett and Brinkley have until Wednesday to rest, otherwise it’s another run through the waiver wire.

TAMPA, Fla. -- If the Arizona Cardinals could fast-forward their games to about the middle of the fourth quarter, their offense would look like the well-oiled unit it was touted to be.

It’s those first three quarters that are catching them.

Something was off from Arizona’s first play Sunday at Tampa Bay. Carson Palmer was sacked when Gerald McCoy was given a clear path to the quarterback. A play later, Rashard Mendenhall dropped a pass that’s usually a gimme. And on the Cardinals' next drive Mendenhall dropped a carry and fumbled the ball away.

The offense's woes picked up where they left off in New Orleans and continued until the Cardinals’ defense willed this team to victory, 13-10, late in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Before then, however, the defense was simply keeping the offense above water.

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first half, which ended with Arizona totaling just 87 yards of offense, three first downs and an 0-for-6 on third down. The Cardinals punted on six of their seven possessions in the first half. Mendenhall’s fumble was on the other possession.

“That was some ugly ball … that was bad ball in the first half all around,” said Fitzgerald, who was visibly frustrated, hanging his head after some plays. “Our defense kept fighting for us, kept the game manageable for us. We’re so thankful those guys played their tail off.”

Fitzgerald said he didn’t demand the ball at halftime or draw plays in the sand that could get him open. But when the Cardinals took possession for the first time in the second half, Fitzgerald was Palmer’s first target for a 9-yard pass. Then Palmer hit Michael Floyd for 14 yards and Fitzgerald again for 21. Arians began moving Fitzgerald around, and it helped the All-Pro get open. The offense was finally showing those flashes that offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin talked about last week.

But even then, the Cardinals’ offense figured out ways to stall. They began the third quarter with two impressive drives, both of which were curtailed after Palmer threw interceptions from the Tampa Bay 15- and 33-yard lines, respectively.

Palmer said part of the offense's struggles come from playing only four games together.

“You got a new system, a lot of new players in new spots,” Palmer said. “There is not a lot of continuity really anywhere.”

Yet Arians appears to accept the offense’s flaws as long as the Cardinals win. But would Patrick Peterson have been able to intercept a veteran quarterback twice, as he did against Bucs rookie Mike Glennon? Or would a seasoned signal-caller have been able to stretch a lead during the second and third quarters? They’re questions to ponder with Carolina’s Cam Newton coming to town.

That is why they play 60 minutes, Arians said, and as long as the Cardinals hang around long enough to win, he’s OK with some bumps in the road.

“Just win the fourth quarter and we’ll be all right,” Arians said.

“I thought the fourth quarter was some of the best football we’ve played all year. It was just a matter of doing it. It was there to be done.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- Observed in the locker room after the Arizona Cardinals’ 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pure exhaustion: One of the first things heard upon entering the Cardinals’ locker room was quarterback Carson Palmer asking a teammate if he was tired. Palmer then explained how exhausted he was. “It was a dogfight,” Palmer said during his news conference.

Stopping the run: The defensive line was extra curious about how many yards it allowed on the ground and began asking anyone who walked by. The answer was 80, the second most Arizona has allowed all season.

Waiting patiently: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first half, but he’s not the type of person to say anything about it. At halftime, he didn’t voice his displeasure with not being involved, nor did he suggest ways to make that happen. “I’m not a complainer,” Fitzgerald said.

D-Wash on the mind: Sunday was the Cardinals’ last game without linebacker Daryl Washington, who will be reinstated Monday after a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. And the Cards let everyone know how excited they were to have him back. Both head coach Bruce Arians and cornerback Patrick Peterson referenced Washington and how the defense will change with when he returns.

TAMPA, Fla. -- A few thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals’ 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

What it means: The Cardinals are starting to look like they're in real trouble offensively. Before the fourth quarter Sunday, they went without a touchdown for six consecutive quarters because of an inability to finish deep inside opponents' territory. But there are larger issues, such as the play calling. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first half. When he finally was, the offense started moving, only to stall out thanks to two interceptions by quarterback Carson Palmer. The inability to convert on third down continued, which prevented Arizona from sustaining drives. The Cards had the ball for just 10 minutes, 23 seconds in the first half.


Stock watch: No one player on the Cardinals’ defense played well enough to warrant being singled out, and too many played poorly. Patrick Peterson saved the day for Arizona with an interception late in the fourth that allowed the Cards to tie the game, then eventually go ahead for good. The defense kept the Cards in the game despite the circumstances. They not only came in without four starters but also lost Darnell Dockett and Jasper Brinkley during the game to groin injuries.

Picked off: Two of the Cardinals’ best opportunities to score were derailed by interceptions by Palmer. And both display his continued penchant for throwing short or wide. The first was with the Cards lined up at the Bucs' 15, Palmer was a few feet short of an open Michael Floyd. On the second, Palmer went a tad wide to Fitzgerald and was picked off by Darrelle Revis. Two passes that could’ve been completed had Palmer’s accuracy been a little tighter.

Mental mishaps: Maybe the Cardinals were still stuck in vacation mode, but some of their on-the-field decisions Sunday raised a few eyebrows. Palmer was flagged for an intentional grounding because he threw a pass into the feet of an offensive lineman instead of holding it during a sack. And Dockett’s taunting and horse-collar penalties helped the Bucs’ field position.

What's next: The Cardinals return home after a 1-1 road trip to host the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. MT Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- For 5 minutes, 41 seconds last Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals’ offense looked unbeatable.

Yes, that good.

It was methodical and precise, giving quarterback Carson Palmer enough time to target five different receivers and march the Cardinals 80 yards for a touchdown.

For 5 minutes, 41 seconds, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome went silent, watching a drive unfold that was expected under first-year Arizona coach Bruce Arians. But for the next 54:19, the Cardinals looked like a different team, stuck in neutral while their tires spun in the mud.

The flash of offense showed this team has what it takes to execute, to drive, to score. But it showed the Cardinals need to figure out a way to do it consistently. They'll hope to see improvement on Sunday at Tampa Bay.

“When you go in and you score really fast you feel like the points are just going to keep coming and when they don’t, it can be very frustrating,” Palmer said. “You got to do everything you can to not let that frustrate you. You got to continue to [play] whatever position you’re playing, to go through your reads, go through your mechanics to play and not think about, ‘Well we could’ve done this or should’ve done this or didn’t take advantage of this opportunity.

“You can’t dwell on the past or think about the past. You got to keep thinking about the next play or the next drive.”

But when the Cardinals started fast in that stadium against that team, the memories came flooding back. But no one on this overhauled roster expected a repeat of 2010, when Tim Hightower ripped a 70-yard touchdown from scrimmage on the first play of divisional game. The Cardinals lost 45-14.

“We didn’t carry our water,” wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “[But] you’re definitely encouraged. You give Coach Arians an ability to script a first series and it’s pretty tough to deal with him. He’s a mastermind in terms of that.”

There’s not one thing to work on. It’s a combination of dropped passes, missed assignments, bad routes, poor mechanics, missed blocks. And it’s not just one player, Palmer said. It’s a team-wide effort.

But it’s an all-or-nothing situation. There’s no in between scenario for the Cardinals, offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said. If the offense marches to the red zone and doesn’t score, it won’t sit well with Goodwin. It’s either Arizona scores points or it doesn't, he added.

Consistency is easy to talk about, Goodwin discussed this week. But it’s another animal to tame in reality.

Goodwin saw what everyone at home and inside the dome saw: An offense that can score when it wants to. He saw it again early in the fourth when Palmer put together a string of passes to Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd before throwing an interception.

Despite the turnover, the offense regained some form it briefly exhibited in the first quarter, but last Sunday’s game produced a motto of sorts for this offense:

“Start fast, finish strong, don’t let up,” Goodwin said. “I think throughout the first three regular-season games, you’ve seen our offense -- when it’s clicking, it’s clicking but when it’s off, it’s off.

“You got to make sure it’s on point this week.”

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians isn’t big on excuses, but he did offer a possible explanation for part of the Cardinals’ recent offensive woes.

Leading into the games against the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saint, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald barely practiced, if at all. To fill his void, the Cardinals rearranged their receivers, lining up Michael Floyd, Andre Roberts, Jaron Brown and then Kerry Taylor at positions they might not normally have played had Fitzgerald been healthy.

And on practice went, with Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer working with that foursome, learning their tendencies and movements from various routes -- only to have Fitzgerald play both Sundays. It wasn’t a conducive situation to a relatively new offense learning how to flow.

But this week could be different. Fitzgerald’s hamstring has apparently healed, and he practiced all week.

“We lost him on Wednesday (Sept. 11),” Arians said on national radio this week. “And then he played in the game. Well, in the meantime we shuffled guys around in case he wasn’t going to play. Carson saw those guys in those positions, and then Larry comes back and plays and everybody’s in a different spot. The same thing happened last week.

“He wasn’t able to practice until Friday (before New Orleans). You never know [if he is going] to make it. And then he was healthy Friday. We got everybody back in the other spots where they belonged and he got one day of practice. I think that’s an excuse, but it does have some validity. When you look at the tape, a little hesitation is all it takes for a quarterback.”

Fitzgerald had 33 yards in the Cardinals’ win against the Lions, a game that saw Taylor emerge as an unexpected contributor. He was promoted from the practice squad a day before the game, and finished with 40 yards on three catches.

Despite not practicing until Friday before the Saints game, Fitzgerald had 64 yards on five receptions in a 31-7 loss.

Offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said it shouldn’t matter who is lined up, but it does.

“It’s tough when you’re not sure if you’re No. 1 guy is going to be able to play,” Palmer said. “And you don’t practice and you’re thinking you might play and you’re not sure, and you get to Sunday and everything’s great and you get to play and you lose out on those reps.

“It gets a little muddied I guess, when you lose your guy and all of a sudden he’s there on Sunday.”

Palmer won’t have to worry this week. Despite being listed as probable, Fitzgerald practiced all week.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Hindsight is 20/20, but if Bruce Arians looked in the rear-view mirror this week, the chances he'd have been able to see the car behind him would've been pretty slim.

The Arizona Cardinals woke up in Sarasota on Monday morning to torrential downpours that didn’t let up until about 3 p.m. local time Wednesday, a couple of hours after the team practiced at IMG Academy in nearby Bradenton. Once there, the Cardinals found muddy fields and enough water on both sidelines to constitute small ponds. But the team practiced anyway, even if Arians was less than thrilled about the weather.

“We would’ve gone somewhere where I knew it wasn’t going to rain or somewhere that had an indoor facility,” the coach said.

It wasn’t a knock on IMG, but rather his frustration with the weather pattern that settled over the west coast of Florida. When asked if flying back to Arizona was an option after last Sunday's game in New Orleans, Arians gave an emphatic answer.

“We would’ve stayed on the East Coast,” he said. “We were going to say on the East Coast no matter what.”

According to the National Weather Service, the weather in Tampa for the Cardinals' game Sunday against the Buccaneers is expected to be 88 degrees and mostly sunny. It’s supposed to rain again until about 2 p.m. on Thursday in Sarasota.

Because of the weather, the Cardinals were mainly relegated to their hotel, so Wednesday’s practice, even in the messy conditions, was a welcome reprieve.

“It’s been raining so much, there’s really nothing to do,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “I’m sure everyone has seen a ton of film and had an opportunity to kinda be forced to watch too much film. It’s good to get out and move around and sweat and work out and do all that.”

The rain didn’t throw off the Cardinals’ preparation except for one thing.

Tampa Bay runs a lot of stunts on a defensive line that also moves often. Arizona was hoping to work on protecting against that, but Arians said he pushed back that part of practice back.

The heat and sunshine of Arizona seem like a distant memory now. While the rain finishes up, Arians just hopes it stays away from Sarasota, so he doesn’t have to open another press conference with this question:

“Does anybody got a boat we can borrow?”

TAMPA, Fla.. – After last season, Greg Schiano said he didn’t believe any NFL coaches and players were wed to each other. As it turns out, the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was right.

And wrong.

Schiano showed he wasn't wed to Josh Freeman when he confirmed Wednesday that he was benching the fifth-year quarterback. Now Schiano has tied his entire future to Mike Glennon.

That’s the rookie who will replace Freeman in the starting lineup Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

"I think Mike Glennon is Mike Glennon," Schiano said shortly after pointing to the success of rookie quarterbacks last season. "He’s going to help us win Sunday, and he’s going to help us win a lot of games."

Let’s face reality. Freeman remains on the roster for now, but it’s likely he’ll be elsewhere before the trade deadline in late October. This divorce between Freeman and Schiano was in the works for a long time.

Freeman was never Schiano’s "guy." Glennon is.

Schiano’s been infatuated with Glennon for years. He tried to recruit Glennon to Rutgers when he was coaching the Scarlet Knights. Glennon elected to go to North Carolina State, but Schiano didn’t want the quarterback to get away again and took him with a third-round draft pick in April.

At that moment, Freeman’s fate was pretty much sealed. The Bucs lost five of their final six games last season and Freeman struggled down the stretch. After the season, the Bucs looked at quarterbacks such as veteran Carson Palmer before ultimately deciding to draft Glennon.

The Bucs gave Freeman a chance to hold onto the job, but the deck was stacked against him. He failed to complete more than 50 percent of his passes in any of the first three regular-season games, and the offense never seemed to get into any rhythm.

“We’ve lost eight of nine games and we haven’t played particularly well on offense in the last nine games," Schiano said. “Although it’s not completely the quarterback’s fault, that position touches the ball every play."

The Bucs have a bye after the Arizona game, and could have waited to make a quarterback switch.

“It is beneficial I think that Mike will get to play a game and then have a bye week to really decipher through it and learn from the experience before he has to play his next game," Schiano said. “That’s a side benefit of the decision. But it wasn’t by any means the reason it was made now. We felt that it was time that Mike Glennon gave us the best chance to win and that’s why we did it."

So, just like that, the Bucs cast aside Freeman, who was the team’s first-round pick in 2009. Freeman was drafted by former coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik. Morris is long gone, but Dominik, the one with ties to Freeman, is still around. If there’s a fall guy for Freeman’s failure, it could be Dominik.

But Dominik and Schiano spent a lot of time together before the decision was made to go with Glennon. Then, they got the blessing of ownership. Now, they’re ready to move on.

There’s almost no chance Freeman can win the job back.

“Mike’s our starting quarterback from this point forward," Schiano said. “We’re moving forward and Mike’s our quarterback. That’s the plan and that’s how we’re going."

Isn’t going with a rookie quarterback sending a message to the veterans that this team is starting over?

“Not this rookie quarterback," Schiano said. “Not in my opinion. I think he gives us the best chance to win Sunday. That’s why we’re doing it."

Glennon had better win quickly. The Bucs are 0-3, and Wednesday marked a big day in franchise history. It was the day Freeman got pushed out of a job. That takes a big layer of insulation away from Schiano. The coach now is wed to his quarterback, and he'd better be right about this one.

If Schiano’s wrong about Glennon, this decision could cost him his job.

A weekly analysis of the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback play:

Rewind: This wasn’t the type of game the Cardinals had in mind when they traded for Carson Palmer. He started 4-for-5 on the opening drive, leading Arizona to a touchdown that quieted the Superdome. Then he went 10-for-23 on the next eight drives, all of which resulted in punts as the Saints outscored the Cardinals 31-0. But it was a slow decline. Palmer began that stretch 5-for-6 and then tailed off.

So I was wrong. Brutally wrong. I predicted Palmer would throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 187 yards, and the Cardinals’ 247 total yards were less than Palmer’s individual marks the first two games.

Fast-forward: Palmer will have to decide whether it’s worth throwing to Larry Fitzgerald with Bucs CB Darrelle Revis on him all game. Chances are Revis will be in single coverage, which Fitz enjoys because of his fundamental route running. That also allows the Bucs to double-cover Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts. Look for TE Rob Housler to break out.

Shake, rattle and roll: Palmer looked rattled after getting hit a few times against the Saints. His demeanor changed, and he appeared to rush his passes and decisions a little. But when he’s given time, Palmer is very accurate and can pinpoint his throws. The key, however, is him staying off the ground, which isn’t in his control every play. But when he’s hit a few times, Palmer turns into a different quarterback.

Prediction: These are getting harder because of the play of the offensive line. If Palmer stays upright, he can get back on track with 200 yards or more and two touchdowns. If he’s hit, we might see another performance like the one against New Orleans.

A review of four hot issues from the Arizona Cardinals' 31-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints:

No stopping Jimmy: The Cardinals shouldn’t feel bad. Saints tight end Jimmy Graham is doing this to everyone he plays against. He finished with 134 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches, and just abused whoever the Cardinals sent out to defend him. However, stopping big tight ends has been troublesome for the Cardinals this season without linebacker Daryl Washington.

“I mean, he’s tough,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “He’s a big body. It’s hard to cover those big-body guys, especially by him being a basketball player. He knows how to maneuver his body real well and he did a great job of boxing us out and going up and getting the ball.

“All Drew has to do is throw it in his vicinity.”

Everyone knew he was good when he averaged 65 yards per game, but he's at another level thus far in 2013, averaging 119 per game.

Third-down progress?: Winning can heal a lot, such as last week’s 1-for-11 performance on third down. However, a loss and a 5-for-13 day on third downs? That won’t please anyone. The Cardinals can’t seem to figure out how to get first downs when the down marker rolls to third. Palmer was 3-for-11 on third-down dropbacks against New Orleans, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Just on third downs, Palmer was 4-for-9 for 46 yards, threw for three first downs and was sacked twice. And the Cardinals aren’t looking for their best receiver on third downs, either. In the past two weeks, Palmer has targeted Fitzgerald just once on third downs in each game.

Mathieu proving himself: Three games, three big plays. The cream of the rookie class may be rising from the third round. Tyrann Mathieu proved he doesn’t just make big plays in the NFL, but he does it on the biggest stage. Sounds familiar? It’s the storyline of his career. Mathieu had another play Sunday, intercepting Drew Brees in front of Mathieu’s hometown crowd at the Superdome. Mathieu downplayed the pick, but it was hard to ignore the media attention he received. He could be the biggest steal of the 2013 draft when it’s all said and done.

When it rains it pours: Any time a player tweets the words, “God has a plan,” attached to a photo of his foot on a private jet, it can’t be good. Those words and that photo came from linebacker Sam Acho, one of three starters left Sunday’s game and didn’t return. He was out with an ankle injury, while linebacker Lorenzo Alexander suffered a foot injury and safety Rashad Johnson left the game with a finger issue. Injuries are a part of the game, and they can quickly derail a season (see: 2012), but the Cardinals have enough depth at those positions to help make up for their losses. With how poorly the offense played after that initial touchdown, the injuries were adding insult to literal injury.

NEW ORLEANS -- The cover of the New Orleans Saints’ game day magazine featured a photo of defensive end Cameron Jordan with the headline: “The sky’s the limit.”

Maybe the team knew something the Arizona Cardinals didn’t.

Jordan caused fits for Arizona throughout the Cardinals’ 31-7 loss, keeping right tackle Eric Winston busy all afternoon while rushing quarterback Carson Palmer off the edge. He finished with four tackles -- two for a loss -- three quarterback hits and two sacks.

“When you get on the road and you get behind, as a tackle, it’s tough. It’s a tough day,” Winston said. “I felt overall I played alright. I wish had a couple plays back.”

When Jordan wasn’t getting to Palmer, Junior Galette was making life hard on the left side for Levi Brown. He also had three quarterback hits and finished with a sack.

Speed rushers continued to find their way around Brown. Galette was the second speed rusher Brown has faced in the first three weeks of the season, and it’s becoming a liability for the Cardinals, who needed to stack a tight end on the end or in the backfield for added protection. Against St. Louis, Brown gave up three sacks to Robert Quinn.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians emphasized protecting Palmer again after the game.

Palmer, who was sacked four times, was complimentary of the Saints’ pass-rush tandem.

“There’s two very good pass rushers that people don’t know a whole lot about,” Palmer said. “You hear a lot (about) Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma (who are both injured), but Cameron Jordan is really good. He showed that today. Junior Galette is really good. They’re physical guys. They stop the run and they rush the passer. A really good combination of strength and speed, and enough strength to hold up against the tackles and play the run well, and enough speed and athleticism to get around the corner and make plays in the passing game.”

It looks like the Cardinals know who they are now.

NEW ORLEANS -- The shift started on a third down late in the first quarter.

Until then, the Arizona Cardinals looked smooth as their offense produced a nearly flawless opening drive that quieted the Superdome crowd, momentarily taking the air out of the New Orleans Saints’ rowdies. Arizona’s 31-7 loss to the Saints began with the Cardinals taking a 7-0 lead. The Saints responded, tying the game on their first possession, and then it happened.

On third down from the Cardinals' 28-yard line, quarterback Carson Palmer looked to rookie running back Stepfan Taylor. They needed three yards to convert their third third down of the quarter, instead Taylor ran a two-yard route.

Arizona punted. And punted. And punted.

The Cardinals’ offense slowed to a grinding halt starting with that third-down failure and never was able to get out of neutral. Arizona punted on eight straight drives and was outscored 31-0.

“I thought we had a conversion on [Taylor’s] third down but we didn’t quite get there and that was kind of when they turned the momentum on us,” right guard Eric Winston said. “We never did anything to get it back.”

The Cardinals got away from what worked for them on that opening drive, which went 80 yards in 11 plays. Instead of varying the weapons, as they used three running backs and five receivers on that opening drive, the Cards’ offense became stale.

Palmer began relying on rookies, throwing to Jaron Brown on two plays and targeting Andre Ellington twice as many times in the second quarter as Larry Fitzgerald.

Even after Javier Arenas had his best return of the season, 46 yards with less than 3 minutes left in the first half, the Cardinals couldn’t convert inside New Orleans’ territory, going three and out.

“We still are a team that can run to the 50-yard line and kill ourselves,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. “It seemed like we did it all day -- we’d get first downs and first downs and then boom, we’d get to the 50-yard-line and then not convert a third down when the play was there to be made.”

After halftime, however, the offense slowed to a crawl. It managed just 22 yards in the third quarter on eight plays.

Third down again plagued the Cardinals, who converted just 5-of-13 opportunities. Arizona finished with 247 yards, less than Palmer threw for in each of his first two games. He finished with 187 yards on 18-of-35 passing and was sacked four times.

Arians said a few dropped balls and players lining up in the wrong positions didn’t help the cause.

Palmer shouldered the blame to an extent. He said a few of his passes were bad, such as the interception he threw in the fourth quarter after the Cardinals found their legs again with back-to-back passes to Larry Fitzgerald for 26 yards and Michael Floyd for 13, respectively.

For three quarters Sunday, the Cardinals’ offense looked like it was playing in 2012, when many of the same issues hampered its progress.

Palmer wouldn’t say whether Sunday was just an off day or if there were deeper problems within the offense.

“We need to get better. I need to get better. We need to get better as an offense,” Palmer said. “Our defense played great for three quarters and really slowed them down -- got a turnover, gave us some momentum. We just didn’t give them enough to feed off of. We weren’t successful enough and staying on the field long enough to get them a rest and give them something to keep fighting for.

“It just wasn’t good enough.”

Observed in the locker room after the Arizona Cardinals' 31-7 loss against the New Orleans Saints.

Thinking about Dan: Cardinals coach Bruce Arians opened his news conference talking about nose tackle Dan Williams, who lost his father last week in a car accident while the Williams family drove to New Orleans from Memphis. Arians said Williams' mother is in the hospital. Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said the incident put football in perspective.

Injuries plague Cards: Arians didn’t address the injuries suffered specifically, but said they were “critical.” Linebacker Sam Acho left the game with an ankle injury, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander left the game with a foot injury, and safety Rashad Johnson left with a finger injury.

Honey Badger’s reception: By time the Arizona media made its way to the Cardinals’ locker room, the crowd around New Orleans native and LSU product Tyrann Mathieu was already three deep. His return was big news, but to have his first career interception in the Superdome was too good of a storyline.

Offense stalled: Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was blunt in his evaluation of Arizona’s offense after its opening drive: “It didn’t go anywhere.” The Cardinals accomplished their goals of matching the Saints’ energy and quieting the atmosphere of the Superdome, but it stopped at that.