Arizona Cardinal quarterback Drew Stanton was said to be improving but that doesn't mean that he will be suiting up against the Carolina Panthers. And head coach Bruce Arians affirms that.
"He (Stanton) is close but there's no way I'm risking it," "He (Stanton) is close but there's no way I'm risking it."
Stanton suffered a partially torn ACL and an MCL sprain when the Cardinals played the Rams last December. Aside from that, Stanton suffered an infection to his knees and had to undergo an arthroscopic procedure.
With that put out of the way, Ryan Lindley will continue to start for the Cardinals, his third straight for Arizona. And while Lindley is seemingly far off from Stanton, coach Arians is confident that Lindley can far well against their opponents come the weekend.
"He knows what he's doing. He had courage and it takes courage to play that position at this level. His accuracy is getting better and better."
This will mark the first time that Arians will be playing a quarterback with little experience. Lindley is 1-5 as a starter and 0-2 for the season since taking over from Stanton.
To make up for the inexperience of Lindley, coach Arians will have to find a way to keep the game close. He can do so mixing the run and pass game to ease the pressure that is now at the hands of Lindley.
However, Panthers coach Todd Bowles to put his swarming defense to good use, something he has gained success from over the last four games which translated into wins. Leading the defensive end for the Panthers is Luke Kuechly. And that alone could give coach Arians more things to worry about with his inexperience quarterback.
Odds favor the Panthers 6-5 via Odds Shark.
The Cardinals and Panthers match will kick off at 4:20 p.m. ET, January 3, 2015 at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina via ESPN. You can watch it via live stream as well here.
