Prime-time Cardinals force their way to national psyche

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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Cardinals have http://www.chiefsnflofficialproshop.com/Dwayne-Bowe-Jersey quietly stayed near the top of the standings this season, while much of the national attention went to the Patriots, Broncos, Panthers, or even Arizona's division foes in Seattle.

Five prime-time appearances in an eight-week span are changing that. It's hard for a pro football fan to avoid watching this high-scoring, entertaining bunch lately.

''It's about time,'' cornerback Patrick Peterson said. ''I believe we've been playing good enough to have that shot. We've been putting on a great show.''

At 11-2, Arizona is tied for the second-best record in the NFL. The Cardinals have won seven straight going into their Sunday night game Philadelphia.

And quarterback Carson Palmer could care less whether the Cardinals are mentioned in the same breath as New England, Denver and Carolina.
''No, that comes in mid-January, early February,'' he said. ''That's what we're aiming for. National respect, there's nothing you can do about it but win.''

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FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2014, file photo, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, right, talks wi …
And that the Cardinals have done. They are 4-0 in prime time - with victories over the Ravens, Seahawks, Bengals and, most recently, a 23-20 victory over Minnesota on a Thursday night.

So what is the national perception of this Arizona team?

''Oh, I don't know,'' coach Bruce Arians said. ''Probably in Seattle and St. Louis they hate us. We're probably resilient and entertaining. We take every damn one to the (last) minute, the last second. East coast people are probably (ticked) off that they can't go to sleep.''

All four prime-time games have gone down http://www.chiefsnflofficialproshop.com/Jmarcus-Webb-Jersey to the final play - or close to it.

One possible reason for Arizona's slow arrival into the national the football psyche is geography. The Southwest is a long way from New York, where much of the NFL media is based. And Phoenix is perceived to be a small market, even though it is the nation's sixth-largest city.