There’s more than just a potential Super Bowl match-up on the line for Carson Palmer when he faces his former team on Saturday.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback isn’t downplaying the personal significance of meeting the Cincinnati Bengals, the team he led the first seven years of his career.
On top of that, there’s a chance the encounter could be a preview of the Super Bowl, with the Bengals at 8-1 and the Cardinals sitting at 7-2.
“When you play against a former team, it’s not just another game,” Palmer said. “There’s definitely a lot on this one for me in particular.”
“There’s obviously a little bit extra on it. It’s a big game for us and a big game for them… Myself and this team are focused on Week 11, not 2011.”
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Palmer’s only other clash against the Bengals came when he went 19-for-34 for 146 yards with one touchdown and an interception as the Oakland Raiders lost 34-10 in 2012.
His second opportunity to pay back the team that traded him away will be a challenge as the Cardinals go up against a Cincinnati defence that allows the fewest points in the league at 16.9 per game.
It was the Bengals’ offence which let them down last week as they endured a 10-6 loss to the Houston Texans, their first of the season.
Quarterback Andy Dalton had his worst outing of the year, totalling 197 yards through the air with no touchdowns and an interception.
“We can’t let there be any carry-over,” Dalton said. “That’s not the team we are, and we know what we’ve done to this point. This game doesn’t define our season. It doesn’t define anything. We’re still 8-1. We’re still leading the division. We know where we are.”
