Defense lets Palmer have too much fun
GLENDALE, Ariz. — During Sunday’s 49ers-Cardinals game here in the big igloo (cold inside, warm outside), the best time to step out for a hot dog or a beverage was whenever Carson Palmer dropped back to pass.
The Cards’ quarterback had plenty of time back there in the pocket, waiting for his receivers to get open downfield. Palmer wasn’t stressed in his previous two games (zero sacks), and he wasn’t harried much Sunday on 33 pass plays — one sack, by Arik Armstead — and not much pressure.
Like Ben Roethlisberger the previous Sunday, Palmer carved up the 49ers.
Roethlisberger had six deep completions. Palmer, through the first three quarters, had six of 20-plus yards, plus touchdown strikes of 4 and 8 yards to Larry Fitzgerald, who is as good as ever.
The first two scrimmage plays of the game were Palmer passes to that guy Larry for 21 and 13 yards. How easy was it? “I thought the pocket was phenomenal,” Palmer said, adding, “That one last (touchdown) drive (79 yards in 13 plays in the fourth quarter) was fun. That’s fun.”
Fun. Not a word frequently used by NFL quarterbacks. It will fall heavy on the ears of the 49ers’ defenders.
Are we fun? Do we amuse you?
Sunday wound up being a relatively pedestrian day for the sizzling Palmer (102.5 passer rating), but he clearly exposed the fact that the 49ers, whose motto is “Own it, fix it, move on,” skipped Step 2 after the Pittsburgh game.
Maybe defensive coordinator Eric Mangini is doing the best he can with what he has. The 49ers did a mostly good job stopping the run — a 3.8yard average on 37 rushes — but the 49ers put little pressure on Palmer, allowing him to exploit the obvious deficiencies of the secondary.
Getting lit up by Roethlisberger and Palmer doesn’t put the 49ers in an exclusive club, but any team aspiring to a winning season has to beat some really good QBs along the way, and the 49ers look like a team not up to that task.
They will get more opportunities, though. Stepping into the batter’s box is Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, with Eli Manning and the Giants on deck, and Joe Flacco and the Ravens in the hole.