Palmer throws 4 TDs in Cardinals' 48-23 win over Bears
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CHICAGO (AP) Carson Palmer is back - and in a big way.
Palmer threw for four touchdowns to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a 48-23 victory over the Chicago Bears, who lost Jay Cutler to a hamstring injury Sunday.
Palmer connected with Larry Fitzgerald for three of the TDs, giving him seven in two games after returning last week against New Orleans from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that cut short his season after just six games a year ago.
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Palmer was 17 of 24 with 185 yards to improve to 15-2 in his last 17 starts, David Johnson returned the opening kickoff a club-record 108 yards and added a rushing TD, and Chris Johnson ran for 72 yards with Andre Ellington sidelined by a sprained right knee for the Cardinals (2-0).
And, coach Bruce Arians gained a measure of revenge after the Bears hired Marc Trestman over him in January 2013.
Cutler walked to the locker room after he was stiff-armed trying to tackle Tony Jefferson on a 26-yard interception return late in the first half.
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That was the biggest development in a game that included several big plays that ended with Palmer and the Cardinals prevailing and Chicago (0-2) remaining winless under new coach John Fox.
Cutler got off to a fine start, completing his first eight passes for 120 yards before getting picked off. He threw a 48-yard touchdown to Josh Bellamy. But the injury on Jefferson's interception return was another big blow for a team that was already missing its top receiver with Alshon Jeffery out because of a hamstring problem.
Now, the Bears could be missing their quarterback when they visit defending NFC champion Seattle. That would likely mean a start for Jimmy Clausen, who was 14 of 23 for 121 yards after Cutler went down.
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Clauson's long pass on the opening drive of the second half got picked off by Patrick Peterson, leading to a 28-yard touchdown catch by Fitzgerald that made it 35-20. David Johnson added a 13-yard scoring run on Arizona's next possession that bumped the lead to 22 points, sending Arizona to a lopsided victory after a wild first half.
Along with Johnson's team record return on the game's opening kickoff, there were two long pass-interference penalties by Chicago's Kyle Fuller and Alan Ball that led to touchdowns for the Cardinals. The Bears also got a pair of field goals in the final minute of the half thanks to a fumble recovery on a punt and an interception by Jared Allen.
All that was overshadowed by Cutler's injury.
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Arizona had just grabbed a 21-14 lead when he threw a pass behind Martellus Bennett, resulting in an easy interception for Jefferson. As he tried to make a tackle, Cutler got stiff-armed and landed on his right shoulder. But the Bears said he injured his hamstring.
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