The Arizona Cardinals will go the rest of the way without Carson Palmer.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians confirmed Monday that Palmer tore his ACL in Sunday's win over the St. Louis Rams. He will be placed on season-ending injured reserve, with the expectation that the veteran quarterback will be ready for the start of the 2015 season.
"He knows what he's in for, the long, tedious process of rehab," Arians said. "It's just a shame that it happened now, with this team."
Palmer suffered the non-contact injury while stepping up to avoid a Rams blitzer. It's the same ACL Palmer tore during a January 2006 playoff game with the Cincinnati Bengals.
"I knew walking out on the field what I was going to find," Arians said. "You're pulling for a guy because he's put so much into it. To get into the playoffs and win some games and maybe go all the way because you know what it means to him at this point of his career. ... This team is special, and we'll miss him on the field but his leadership will still be there."
"It's a bump in the road," Arians added. "It's been a bumpy-ass road. I'd like to get the potholes fixed."
Arians said the fact that Palmer suffered no other damage in the knee will help during the rehab process. The injury with the Bengals was far more serious, by comparison. Still, Palmer will take the field next summer as a 35-year-old quarterback with two major knee surgeries in his past.
The recent contract extension assures Palmer security, but the road ahead is uncertain.
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