NFL Week 3’s top storylines

Sep 14, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) audibles in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) audibles in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer on the sideline during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer on the sideline during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

Can a Carson Palmer-less Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers?

With Carson Palmer officially out for Sunday, should we write off the Cardinals?

Should we do that for the season as well?

Quarterback Drew Stanton led the team to a victory over the New York Giants in Week 2, but as we’ve already covered, that might not be very impressive this season.

And if you look at the game again, you’ll notice that most of the heavy lifting was supplied by a Ted Ginn punt return touchdown and some outstanding defense. Stanton’s arm was a non-factor.

The question then becomes, can the Cardinals defense win out against the Niners offense? The offense has been pretty effective thus far and should fare well against the Cardinals even if tight end Vernon Davis is out.

When Sam Bradford went down, the hopes of the St. Louis Rams went with him. Will it be the same for the Cardinals without Palmer?

We’ll see how bad – or good – things look this week in a true test against a tough San Francisco team.

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