Bruce Arians watched his team Friday night. And he knows the Cardinals did not play well, especially offensively. But he said this week was like any other, noting that Carson Palmer has played only about 20 plays thus far -- not even a half's work most games.

Arians also knows there is concern out there from the fan base. He matter-of-factly said while that's expected, maybe it shouldn't be.

"Tendency is to 'Woe is me,' " Arians said. "But when our starters have played 15 plays, 20 plays maybe, that's not even a good half. We've had bad halves before and come back and won games. It's not a doomsday situation by any stretch of the imagination."

The game in Houston this week is going to be a better and more important barometer. But with all due respect to Denny Green, it still will not be the end-all, be-all as a foretelling of the regular season, whether the Cardinals play well or play poorly.