The Cardinals just can’t catch a break. Quarterback Drew Stanton could be done for the season after the team discovered an infection in his knee which required arthroscopic surgery, according to two sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The infection is believed to have been caused by outside medical treatment.
Stanton has been out since he suffered an MCL sprain earlier this month in a win over the Rams. The development could be why Cardinals coach Bruce Arians decided to go back to Ryan Lindley for Sunday’s game against the 49ers. Logan Thomas was originally slated to start in order to get him some preparation as a backup. Now, Lindley will need all the reps he can get. Stanton was viewed as the frontrunner to start the team’s opening-round playoff game, but today’s news has cast serious doubt over that.
Lindley’s completion percentage is barely over 40% in two starts this season, so the Cardinals will be hoping for a belated Christmas miracle when it comes to Stanton. Speaking of which, the devout Kurt Warner cannot be activated from the reserve/retired list, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk rightly notes. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the deadline for reinstatement came and went on November 28th.