TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim didn't have an update on the status of wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's knee during his weekly appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Monday morning.
"Larry came back after he got dinged up and made that huge third-down catch to ice the game," Keim said. "We'll find a little bit more out this morning."
Fitzgerald was scheduled to get an MRI on his left knee to determine the severity of an injury to his MCL, reported ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder. The injury occurred on a third-down pass late in the second quarter of Arizona's 14-6 win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Fitzgerald then went to the locker room in the final two minutes of the half.
Overall, Keim believed the Cardinals came out relatively healthy.
"I'm sure there'll be a lot of guys that are sore," Keim said. "But for the most part on the surface it seemed like we came out OK."
Keim said he knew quarterback Drew Stanton would play well Sunday, when he threw for the first 300-yard game of his career. "I had a good feeling going into the game because he had an excellent week. Not only did he look poised and relaxed but he threw the ball extremely well."
Keim was also impressed with how Stanton tracked down Lions linebacker Josh Bynes and tackled him after Bynes picked off a pass intended for Troy Niklas. "The way he chased and closed on the defender, he looked like a safety running the alley there."
Keim said he understands the "take-it-one-game-at-a-time" mentality, but at the same time, he's a believer that players should understand what they're playing for. "These guys aren't naïve. B.A. [Bruce Arians] keeps it real from Day 1 and that's what those guys need. They need someone who's going to be brutally honest with them, not only on how they're playing but what's at stake. I think when you look at the big picture, these guys understand what's at stake. ...I don't think you can underscore how big of a win it was for us."
After subtly complaining about the interior of the Cardinals' offensive line the past couple of weeks, Keim had nothing but praise for right guard Paul Fanaika, center Lyle Sendlein and left guard Ted Larsen, who helped Arizona not allow a sack of Stanton. "What was really nice to see was our ability to pass protect. Yesterday, I thought our offensive line did an excellent job for the most part pass protecting, and, really, the interior guys stepped their game up."
Keim felt cornerback Patrick Peterson jumped off the film more than any other player. He held Detroit's Calvin Johnson to five catches for 59 yards two weeks after limiting Dallas' Dez Bryant to two catches. "He is absolutely playing excellent football right now."
While talking about Peterson, Keim said a lot of people don't understand the stress Arizona puts on its cornerbacks by asking them to cover man-to-man for "several seconds." He said: "We don't give them a ton of help and those guys are out on an island for several seconds with Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant, and those kinds of guys. It's a tough task but Pat has played excellent football. He's played focused and he's played with a lot of urgency."
Keim said it was fun to watch rookie safety Deone Bucannon on Sunday. Bucannon led the Cardinals with seven tackles. "He brings a different energy level, particularly against the run. He chases and runs with the football like his hair's on fire."
When it came to Arizona's rushing attack Sunday, Keim said there's always something to "be nit-picky about, even if you are 9-1" after the Cardinals ran for 46 yards, led by Andre Ellington's 42. "Running the ball is always going to be at the forefront for me, but they're one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL and I thought, at times, we were able to run the ball effectively."
Even after linebacker Alex Okafor added two more sacks Sunday, Keim told him after the game that he's left about four or five on the field this season. "He stepped up and brought a pass rush that we were desperately seeking," Keim said.