I find myself getting more interested in Carson Palmer. He doesn’t (can’t) run, which is a turn off, but he can still sling it around. He’s a veteran passer who knows what he’s doing.
He’s also surrounded by a nice cast of talent. Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd are about as good as any pair of receivers in the league. Andre Ellington is a good pass catching running back. And I like Arizona’s reserve receivers. Rookie John Brown looks like he could be another T.Y. Hilton, and Jaron Brown seems to be a notch better.
Palmer, recall, was a very good passer during the second half of last season, averaging 295 yards per game, with 14 TDs in those final eight games.
In the second half of last season, only five teams put up better passing numbers.
(This chart also underscores that while Tom Brady was terrible at the start of last year, he was very good in the second half of the season).
For each team, I’m showing the passing stats for the team’s final eight games. With the varying byes, that’s Weeks 10-17 for some and Weeks 9-17 for others.
PASSING, SECOND HALF OF SEASON | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | Yards | TD | Points |
Denver | 2704 | 26 | 426.4 |
New Orleans | 2621 | 18 | 370.1 |
Philadelphia | 2432 | 21 | 369.2 |
New England | 2668 | 16 | 362.8 |
Chicago | 2395 | 17 | 341.5 |
Arizona | 2520 | 14 | 336.0 |
Cleveland | 2497 | 13 | 327.7 |
Cincinnati | 2162 | 17 | 318.2 |
Pittsburgh | 2161 | 16 | 312.1 |
Dallas | 2136 | 15 | 303.6 |
Miami | 2225 | 13 | 300.5 |
San Diego | 2078 | 15 | 297.8 |
Green Bay | 2343 | 10 | 294.3 |
Detroit | 2107 | 13 | 288.7 |
Atlanta | 2227 | 11 | 288.7 |
Tennessee | 2084 | 12 | 280.4 |
Indianapolis | 2199 | 10 | 279.9 |
Kansas City | 1891 | 15 | 279.1 |
Minnesota | 2003 | 12 | 272.3 |
Jacksonville | 1990 | 12 | 271.0 |
Seattle | 1918 | 13 | 269.8 |
Oakland | 2047 | 10 | 264.7 |
Washington | 1966 | 11 | 262.6 |
Houston | 2069 | 7 | 248.9 |
Baltimore | 1908 | 9 | 244.8 |
Carolina | 1758 | 11 | 241.8 |
San Francisco | 1691 | 12 | 241.1 |
Buffalo | 1812 | 8 | 229.2 |
NY Giants | 1812 | 8 | 229.2 |
Tampa Bay | 1607 | 11 | 226.7 |
St. Louis | 1624 | 8 | 210.4 |
NY Jets | 1590 | 5 | 189.0 |
—Ian Allan