The Arizona Cardinals wrapped up their final practice of the week, and Carson Palmer is officially out for Thursday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. Palmer did not take part in practice and head coach Bruce Arians said the quarterback will not travel with the team to Santa Clara. Palmer continues to work through the concussion protocol.
This means Drew Stanton will get the start on Thursday. Stanton appeared in seven games last season, but has not started a game since 2014 when he worked in relief of an injured Palmer. Stanton actually faced the 49ers that year, completing 18 of 33 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-14 Cardinals win.
The Cardinals are 1-3 and desperately in need of a win if they want to get back to the playoffs again. Palmer had good numbers his first two starts, but was awful against the Bills in Week 3, throwing four interceptions. The offense was struggling in Week 4 against the Rams when he suffered a concussion.
We chatted with Revenge of the Birds about what Stanton means for the game plan. Seth Cox had this to say:
There is a portion of people that believe in Drew Stanton, luckily for the team they all reside in that locker/facility. No fan thinks this is going to go well if they just transition the Carson Palmer-led game-plans to Drew Stanton. The idea is that Stanton can hold down the fort if they lean on their incredible talent at running back, especially if Chris Johnson is healthy, and let Stanton make throws only when necessary.