Rams vs. Cardinals 2013 final score: Carson Palmer leads Arizona to win, staying alive in playoff races

Going into the season, few people expected the Arizona Cardinals to compete for any kind of playoff berth, but with three games left to go they have a very real chance of playing bonus games. The Cardinals beat the St. Louis Rams by a score of 30-10 on Sunday to improve to 8-5, giving them five wins in their last six games and keeping them very much alive for a wild card.

Quarterback Carson Palmer continued his hot play, going 27-of-32 for 269 yards and a touchdown. Palmer now has 12 touchdown passes over his last six games. The Cards kept pace with the San Francisco 49ers, the team they will face in Week 17.

The Rams fell to 5-8 with a disappointing second loss in a row, but on the bright side they also saw the Washington Redskins lose again in Week 14. St. Louis holds the rights to the Redskins' draft pick next season, which at the moment looks like a lock for the top three.

Kellen Clemens had done a good job of keeping the Rams alive after Sam Bradford tore his ACL, but he was just 16-of-27 for 181 yards and two interceptions. Running back Zac Stacy was held to 25 rushing yards but did score a touchdown.

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald had 12 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Floyd was held to just 26 yards and no scores.

Arizona safety Tyrann Mathieu has been a revelation in the secondary, but he hurt his knee and did not return.

Trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Cardinals travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 15. Meanwhile, the Rams will have to regroup against the New Orleans Saints, also on Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. ET.