Well, this is where the Cardinals are. In a week in which Friday finally felt like the day where the offensive line wouldn't be the major topic, it became the major topic. It's not so much that Mike Iupati is likely headed for IR — he hadn't been playing — but Alex Boone is also missing time and Bruce Arians was anything but clear about D.J. Humphries' availability.

I mean, even OC/OL coach Harold Goodwin is working on the gallows humor. "I'm planning on suiting up sooner or later," he said.

It's not like the game is going to be canceled. If Humphries is in there, fine, but if he can't go, it's probable we'll see rookie Will Holden in the lineup, with he and John Wetzel in some combo of guard/tackle on the left side. Not ideal, and that's even if the right side of Evan Boehm and Jared Veldheer were playing well, which has not happened of late.

Carson Palmer played well last week. The Cards moved the ball. Offensively, with John Brown back to at least play a little, the Cards have some guys who can help gain yards. But the line has to keep Palmer upright. It's not unfair to wonder how that can happen.

"As you saw, because (the media) was writing earlier in the season Carson doesn't have it anymore, that's not the issue," Goodwin said. "As long as he is protected, the ball is going to come out, it's going to go to the right place and we're going to score points. If he's not protected, we're going to struggle."

-- Bruce Arians was asked, now that the Cards have been through a couple of games, when the offense most misses the injured David Johnson.

"Every play," Arians said. "Either fake it to him hand it to him or throw it to him."

Sounds about right.

-- I am curious to see how Andre Ellington is deployed. Brown may be back and I expect J.J. Nelson to play, but both probably won't be their explosive selves. Ellington is really that only guy right now.

-- Having Larry Fitzgerald go deep for a couple of long passes Monday night was some excellent nostalgia. How much it can happen, realistically, is another story. It's not so much Fitz can't make the catch in traffic. You still trust him in jump ball situations. But Fitz's ability to get down the field fast to be in position to try for one isn't what it was, and with the problems with protection, can the Cards keep Palmer up long enough to get Fitz where he needs to be?

-- Deone Bucannon won't be playing all the time, not yet, but this is where we get to see how the Cardinals want to deploy him with Haason Reddick and Karlos Dansby. I want to see the package — assuming there is one — that has both Bucannon and Reddick. DC James Bettcher said you don't want to have too many specific packages, because it hampers the other nine or 10 players who would be on the field.

-- Two numbers that, to me, are poison to the Cardinals right now: Allowing opponents to score TDs on 87 percent of red-zone visits, and averaging 2.8 yards per carry rushing the ball. One on each side of the ball. They have to change.

-- Don't forget Kurt Warner's Hall of Fame bust will be on display at University of Phoenix Stadium Saturday from 12-4 p.m. if you want to get a picture. Warner will be presented with his Hall of Fame ring at halftime of Sunday's game.

-- Holden proposed to his girlfriend on the 50-yard line after the Monday night game.

"Football has been a big part of my life and a big part of her life now," Holden said. "She's been with me since day one at Vanderbilt. I felt like that was a special place."

-- See you Sunday. The Cardinals want to at least be .500 after the first quarter of the season. Even though the 49ers are 0-3, that's not a lock.