It had all the makings of a tragedy.
Carson Palmer and Frostee Rucker were in street clothes, John Abraham probably was in pajamas and backup quarterback Drew Stanton was making his first NFL start in nearly four years.
Short week, long flight to the East Coast, angry opponent coming off a humiliating defeat. Is anybody else starting to think Bruce Arians knows something the rest of us don't: specifically, how to win consistently in the highest-profile sport on the continent?
It didn't matter that the Cardinals' shorthanded pass rush couldn't get to Giants QB Eli Manning with any consistency. It didn't matter that cornerbacks Jerraud Powers and Patrick Peterson had bad days at the office between some iffy penalties, a great TD catch by Rueben Randle and some flat-out blown coverages.
It didn't even matter that Stanton completed just 48 percent of his passes without a TD.
The Cardinals got a big effort from the run game (124 yards), a monster game from defensive end Calais Campbell (10 tackles, sack, three tackles for loss), six catches from still-kicking receiver Larry Fitzgerald, their first punt return for a TD in three seasons and a healthy dose of help from New York's three turnovers to post a 25-14 win at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
"To win on the road in the National Football League takes everybody," Arians said. "It wasn't pretty at all times but it was fun. Winning is always fun."
Before the game, the Cardinals found out Palmer would not play. A lingering nerve issue in his right shoulder kept him from taking reps this week in practice and he told FOX Sports' Pam Oliver before the game it "just would not fire; it would not cooperate," adding he couldn't lift his arm all the way.
That gave Stanton a much-anticipated opportunity to participate in a regular-season game. He didn't miss a beat, leading the Cardinals on an impressive, 11-play, 80-yard drive to open the game with Jonathan Dwyer's 1-yard TD run.
"You get to a point in this league -- and I haven't played since 2010, which everybody likes to document -- you have to start betting on yourself," Stanton said. "I'm not going to lie; I was anxious going up to the game."
Stanton showed some ill effects of the long layoff. He held the ball too long on some throws, helping New York record four sacks. But at least he didn't make the bigger mistake on those plays by forcing a ball into a closed window. The Cardinals did not turn the ball over and that is an important recipe for success on the road.
"I have to go back and watch the tape," Stanton said. "I'm sure there will be a few throws I'm going to wish I had back. But ultimately, we came out and got a win and that was the most important thing to me."
But not before the Giants had built a little momentum due to that absent pass rush and some suspect secondary play. New York took a 14-10 lead late in the third quarter on a 1-yard pass to Daniel Fells that was set up by Peterson's pass interference penalty in the end zone on Giants receiver Victor Cruz.
For a time, it felt like Powers and Peterson could do no right. On that third-quarter possession, Peterson was flagged for illegal use of hands and then for pass interference. He was so was upset after the first call that he appeared to bump an official, though no call was made.
"At the end of the day the referees are just calling the game the way they see it," Peterson said. "There is nothing I can do about it. That series, I let them get the best of me but at the end of the day I calmed down, got my composure, went out there, and played football the way I normally play football."
Fortunately for Peterson, Ted Ginn helped the Cardinals regain momentum by breaking a tackle on a 71-yard punt return for a TD to give Arizona a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. It was the Cardinals' first punt return (or kickoff return for that matter) for a TD since 2011 when Peterson tied an NFL record with four.
"It was just that point of time where we needed a play and I just went out and tried to make the best play that I can. It turned out to be a touchdown," Ginn said. "Our special teams came out right after that and forced the fumble on the kickoff return that gave us good field position to get three (points), and that's all we can really ask for."
There will be plenty of talking points off the tape this week. The secondary has to be more consistent and, short-handed or not, the Cardinals must do a better job of getting to the quarterback.
"I've got my fingers crossed someone is going to come out of retirement Monday," Arians said, referring to Abraham.
But two weeks into the season, the Cardinals are 2-0 heading into a division matchup with old nemesis, San Francisco. That's a remarkable accomplishment when you consider all the hurdles Arizona has already faced this season.
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