The Arizona Cardinals are 1-3 the past two seasons when facing the Seattle Seahawks, their opponent Sunday night.
After pulling off a 17-10 victory in a bare-fisted brawl in Seattle late in 2013, Bruce Arians' squad dropped two games to their division rivals last season. The difference in those contests: Carson Palmer (ACL) didn't play.
With Palmer back and performing at an All-Pro level in 2015, the Cards know they can hang with the two-time defending NFC Champs.
"Anytime we're playing with him on the field, we feel like we can beat anybody anywhere," Arians said, via the Arizona Republic.
Pete Carroll, who coached Palmer at USC, likely agrees, saying that he's never seen the 35-year-old quarterback sling it as well as he has this season.
"I've never seen him better," Carroll said. "He's working really well with the offense. He's getting good protection. The running game is there, he's got great receivers to go to, and Bruce (Arians) is calling a real good game for him.
"It's great to see him, this late in his career, have this kind of success. I'm thrilled for him."
With Palmer at the helm, the Cardinals are one of five teams averaging 400-plus yards of offense per game this year and have scored the second-most points in the NFL this season. Arizona also ranks first in yards per play (6.7) and yards per pass attempt (8.5), while sitting tied for second in 20-plus yard plays (44). Palmer ranks first in yards per attempt (9.2), second in touchdowns (20), third in NFL passer rating (110.2) and fifth in total yards (2,386).
Tyrann Mathieu said earlier this week, that the Seahawks "are kind of in our way," but with the Cards at 6-2, owning a two-game lead in the NFC West, it's Seattle that desperately needs a win Sunday to claw their way back into the race.
With Palmer healthy and running the show in the desert, that won't be as easy as last season.
