It's a weekly occurrence, the concern about the Cardinals' deep ball that just isn't there anymore. Is there anything that can be done about it? Maybe not. It's a simple equation for offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin of why they've dried up.

"Because no one is giving them to us," Goodwin said. "People are playing deep coverage on us, and forcing us to make intermediate and underneath throws. That's one reason the running game is a little bit better too.

"People know we live for the shot and people aren't going to give it it up anymore. We respect that. We just have to beat them in different ways."

The Panthers are a team that's had problems on the back end and would seem to be susceptible down the field. Then again, the same things were said about the game against the Jets and the Jets played off and the Cardinals bludgeoned them to death with David Johnson. The Panthers are stout against the run, but the Cards aren't giving up that part of the game.

But Bruce Arians continues to say -- with a stronger nod to running the ball these days -- that there will be times to take shots and some are still open. Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer definitely lamented the J.J. Nelson bomb against the Seahawks that Palmer simply threw too far out of bounds.

"I missed a couple," Palmer said. "I had J.J. on a couple the other night. I've taken shots that I shouldn't have in certain situations. I think one thing I need to do is be a little bit more picky — when to take them, when not to take them. That's something I've really been trying to work on."

-- I didn't think the Panthers were going to be 15-1 again this season. But they shouldn't be 1-5. I thought Kelvin Benjamin was going to be a huge upgrade in helping their passing game. In all honesty, I didn't think Josh Norman -- or a lack thereof -- would have this sort of an impact.

-- Larry Fitzgerald had a tough flight home the last time the Cardinals were in Carolina. Bruce Arians, not so much. "Steve (Keim) and I were working on next year already."

-- The Cardinals need better special teams. And not just Chandler Catanzaro kicking field goals. Protections have to be cleaned up. Last week, the Cards were hurt when Jaron Brown went down, forcing Kerwynn Williams in as a wing protector on the punt team. Williams is the one who surrendered the blocked punt. There's no question injuries have taken a toll on special team -- Four guys on IR, Tyvon Branch, Jaron Brown, Alani Fua and Troy Niklas, were all key special teams pieces to begin the year.

"You always have to be ready," special teamer Stepfan Taylor said. "It's kind of a want-to and a technique kind of deal. We do a good job of everybody ready, but you can only suit up 46 people in the game. It becomes limited. You have people who have never played it before having to be in-game ready and jump in."

-- We'll see if the 10 a.m. kickoff Arizona time impacts anything. The Cardinals didn't play well in the 10 a.m. kickoff in Buffalo, although I'm not sure that was time-related. It would've been better to have the 1:25 p.m. Az time kick as originally scheduled (TV moved it because both teams aren't playing well), but it's not like they haven't done it before. The team is in the air right now flying out to Carolina.

At least I'll get home at a reasonable time. Hey, I'm looking at the silver lining.

-- Injuries will play a big role in how the pass rushes for both teams might look. When the Cardinals are on offense, how does left tackle Jared Veldheer hold up with a cast on his right hand against the formidable Carolina defensive line? On the other side, not having starting left tackle Michael Oher (concussion) could make things interesting against edge rushers Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

-- One last word on the two field goal block/miss in Seattle. The NFL explains why both were legal in this video.

-- There's been a lot of talk about the tie the Panthers had in 2014, allowing them to win the NFC South at 7-8-1 over the 7-9 Saints. In context, of course, it was a point made after the Cardinals had their own tie last weekend. There's only one problem -- while the tie made the final standings cleaner in terms of seeing who won, the Panthers were going to win the division anyway. The Panthers and Saints split their two games, and the Panthers had a better division record. So even if the Panthers had lost and not tied the Bengals, they would've won the South.

-- Don't forget the Pat Tillman "A Football Life" tonight at 6 p.m. on NFL Network (and probably replaying a time or two. Check your local listing.)

-- The Cardinals get the bye next week. There's a pretty big difference between 4-3-1 and 3-4-1. At least in the chase to make the postseason.