NFL: 5 things we didn’t see coming in Week 3

Arizona Being 3-0 After Beating San Francisco

Would you have believed me if I had told you before the season started that the Arizona Cardinals would be 3-0 to start the season, with Carson Palmer only playing in one of those games? I didn’t think so.

Drew Stanton has done an excellent job filling in for the injured Palmer, getting the ball to stars Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd as well as an emerging big play talent in John Brown.

A big reason for Arizona’s success has been its defense, which has allowed just 15 points per game through three weeks, including only 14 points against a solid San Francisco 49ers’ offense in Week 3.

I figured the 49ers would be able to take advantage of Stanton’s inexperience and force some turnovers and turn them into points, but it looks like the Cardinals may be more legit than a lot of us thought.

With Palmer predictably returning soon, Arizona is only going to get better and more difficult to beat, especially inside University of Phoenix Stadium.