March 28, 2024

NFC West contenders all win Sunday

Ah, the wild West. As in the NFC West.

Considered the league’s best division heading into the season, the NFC West is not disappointing. The top three contenders from the sector, Arizona, Seattle and San Francisco, all were winners Sunday. The Cardinals also were losers as starting quarterback Carson Palmer injured his left knee.

Palmer was taken to the locker room on a cart after being helped off the field in the fourth quarter with Arizona down by four points. But the Cardinals (8-1) made several big plays down the stretch to beat St. Louis 31-14 and have the NFL’s best mark through nine games. They haven’t had such a strong record since going 11-1 as the Chicago Cardinals in 1948.

“I think there’s a question mark there because nobody knows what his status is,” backup Drew Stanton said after connecting with rookie John Brown for a touchdown. “It’s difficult because he is the leader of this team. ... We’ll just continue to weather the storm, whatever it is.”

Palmer hurt the same knee he injured Jan. 8, 2006, in a playoff game against Pittsburgh, when he tore his ACL and MCL on his first pass of the game.

Palmer was playing some of the best football of his career and, on Friday, signed a three-year contract extension worth a reported $50 million with $20.5 million guaranteed.

Seattle (6-3) ran all over the New York Giants 38-17 thanks to a record-setting performance by Marshawn Lynch. San Francisco (5-4) needed a fourth-and-10 conversion late in the fourth quarter to force overtime in New Orleans before winning 27-24.

Other Sunday scores: Denver 41, Oakland 17; Green Bay 55, Chicago 14; New York Jets 20, Pittsburgh 13; Detroit 20, Miami 16; Kansas City 17, Buffalo 13; Dallas 31, Jacksonville 17; Baltimore 21, Tennessee 7; Atlanta 27, Tampa Bay 17

The weekend’s action began Thursday night when Cleveland (6-3) defeated Cincinnati (5-3-1) 24-3. The Browns now lead the AFC North.

On Monday night, Carolina (3-5-1) is at Philadelphia (6-2).