The Cardinals’ 47-7 win over the 49ers Sunday was over shortly after it started.
About six minutes in, to be exact.
It’s been a good September for the 3-0 Cardinals, who have won all three games by double digits and have outscored their opponents 126-49. Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald are partying like it’s 2009, and the defense has been good, too. Tyrann Mathieu had two of the career-worst four interceptions 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw on Sunday.
Fitzgerald has five touchdown catches in the last two weeks. Chris Johnson, signed in August as an insurance policy in August, ran for 110 yards on the 49ers. The Cardinals outgained the 49ers, 446-156.
Are the Cardinals built to last? Palmer staying healthy is probably the biggest key to that, but there are opportunities ahead to keep stacking wins and building on what’s already a two-game lead in the NFC West.
The 49ers are 1-2, and they’re the only team the Cardinals have played that has recorded a win. So, nobody’s crowning the Cardinals yet but the Cardinals’ next five games are vs. the Rams, at the Lions, at a probably Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers, vs. the Ravens and at the Browns.
The Cardinals have an opportunity to build this start into a really impressive win streak — or, even with a loss or two along the way, a lead in the division by the time the second half of the season rolls around. Nobody wins a trophy for anything that happens in September, but the Cardinals have to feel good about where they are.