Now the Cardinals need their star quarterback to stay in rhythm and keep producing so they can start building momentum after Sunday’s 16-13 overtime victory at Indianapolis.

”We still need to execute better. We had a lot of silly penalties here or there that put us in some tough situations,” Palmer said. ”But we’re a resilient group, there’s no doubt about that.”

They have no choice.

After losing running back David Johnson last week with a dislocated left wrist that required surgery and playing the Colts without the left side of their offensive line – tackle D.J. Humphries and guard Mike Iupati – or receiver John Brown, Palmer’s 37-year-old shoulders are being asked to carry more of the burden.

Things haven’t gone smoothly the first two games.

Palmer was sacked four times and threw another interception against the Colts (0-2) while going 19 of 36 with 332 yards and a touchdown. It was certainly better than last week and good enough to help the Cardinals (1-1) avoid their first 0-2 start since 2005.

But it’s not yet good enough for coach Bruce Arians .

”Quarterback has to play better, simple,” he said when asked about the offensive struggles. ”And we have to block a heck of a lot better.”

Palmer chose not to respond to the critique though it’s a good bet the questions will continue all week.

The truth is that without Palmer, the Cardinals probably might still be winless.

His one-two big-play punch finally got the Cardinals into the end zone midway through the fourth quarter. He followed that drive by twice getting the Cardinals into field goal position. Phil Dawson made the first kick, a 40-yarder, to tie the score at 13 with 2:09 to play before missing a 42-yarder wide right as time expired.

When new Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett was picked off by Tyrann Mathieu on the first play from scrimmage in overtime, Dawson took advantage of his second chance by making a 30-yarder to give the Cardinals a sense of relief.

”I’ve played long enough to know wins – you’ve got to enjoy,” Palmer said. ”Doesn’t matter how you get it done, but we got it done.”

Here are some other things we learned Sunday:

INJURY-FREE

Both teams have already been decimated by injuries this season.

It doesn’t appear any new ones will be added this week after Arians and Colts coach Chuck Pagano both said their teams were relatively injury-free.

BRISSETT’S BASKET

Pagano changed quarterbacks to energize his team. That part worked.

Brissett led the Colts to 10 points on their first two series, converted his first three third-down chances after Indy and the Colts never trailed until the final play. He finished 20 of 37 with 216 yards and ran six times for 22 yards. But this game will be remembered for the one crucial mistake, the interception.

”It was just a bad play all the way around,” he said. ”I take credit for that and I just have to know, which I do know, make a better decision.”

JOHNSON’S RETURN

With David Johnson out, Chris Johnson was back and it didn’t take him long to get up to speed.

Though he didn’t start, Chris Johnson carried 11 times for 44 yards – both team highs – against an opponent he knew well from his days in Tennessee. The Cardinals ran 25 times for 83 yards.

”It was halftime and the plays that he likes were kind of clicking, so we went with him,” Arians said.

RECEIVER STRUGGLES

Brissett’s favorite target was tight end Jack Doyle, who had eight catches for 79 yards.

Maybe that much should have been expected, given the fact that Brissett has only been studying the playbook for two weeks. But only three wide receivers caught passes for the Colts and they had a combined nine catches for 98 yards, barely more than Doyle.

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The 6-foot-8, 321-pound left tackle is out for the season with a torn triceps, an injury that occurred in the Cardinals’ 30-20 loss at Carolina two weekends ago.

Veldheer has been the anchor of the Arizona offensive line since he signed as a free agent in 2014 after spending his first four NFL seasons in Oakland.

Palmer called Veldheer ”one of the best tackles in the league for a long time.”

”His production, his professionalism, his athleticism, his power, his leadership, it’s irreplaceable,” Palmer said Wednesday.

Stepping into that considerable void Sunday, when Arizona is home against San Francisco, steps John Wetzel, an imposing figure in his own right at 6-7 and 328 pounds.

But Veldheer has 88 career starts. Wetzel has one, at left guard against the New York Jets on Oct. 17 when Mike Iupati was out with an ankle injury against.

Wetzel, undrafted out of Boston College in 2013, signed a rookie free agent contract with Oakland but was released before the season started. He was on the practice squads of Dallas and Indianapolis before being signed the Cardinals practice squad last Dec. 9. Wetzel made the 53-man Arizona roster as a backup this season.

”I feel ready,” he said. ”It helps that I started a game already this year and played a little bit in the San Fran game. That helps a lot, just the mental aspect of getting adjusted to the speed of things. I’ve still got a lot of work to do in practice coming up this week, got to get some technical stuff worked on, but by Sunday I should be pretty good.”

Wetzel has appeared in all eight games, mostly on special teams before his stint at guard. He played the entire second half against Carolina at tackle after Veldheer was hurt.

”It’s really unfortunate what happened to Jared, you don’t want to see that,” Wetzel said, ”but I’m looking forward to being part of the team, doing a little bit more than I was, just doing what I can to help out, get some wins.”

Coach Bruce Arians said he’s ”very comfortable” with Wetzel’s new role.

”That’s a more comfortable spot for him (than guard), and he’s tough and smart,” Arians said. ”Will he get beat? Probably now and then. They all do – Jared did too – but he’ll do fine.”

Wetzel agreed tackle is his best position.

”I’ve played it more, I’ve got more experience,” he said. ”Really I only first started playing guard when I was in Dallas due to injuries, played a little bit one preseason game and that’s about it.”

Palmer voiced confidence in Wetzel.

”Wetz is ready, Wetz is excited,” Palmer said. ”When I talk about guys being here (during the bye weekend), Wetz was around, watching film, studying, working on his technique. He’s a physical specimen, so I don’t think he’ll be one of those guys that has that kind of deer-in-the-headlights look.”

It’s a second change on the line this season. Earl Watford is at right guard after Evan Mathis, a free agent signee in the offseason – was lost for the season with an ankle injury at San Francisco on Oct. 6.

Palmer threw for a season-high 363 yards against Carolina but was sacked a season-worst eight times.

”It was really the two interior guys (Iupati and Watford) who’d been there,” Arians said. ”So yeah, they’ve got to protect the quarterback better and then block for the running game. The challenge never changes. They’ve got to block.”

The Cardinals have allowed 25 sacks this season. Only Indianapolis (30) and Cleveland (26) have given up more. Arizona’s allowed 60 quarterback hits, fifth-most in the league.

Wednesday was a veteran’s day off for Palmer. The 36-year-old quarterback said that his 14 NFL seasons have made him appreciate the extra rest.

”I was a gym rat for so long,” he said. ”I want every rep and I’m greedy with every rep, but I’ve learned to understand the importance of recovery and rest and sleep and all those things. I understand how important it is for feeling great Sunday.”

Notes: Asked if he was ready to declare defensive back Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder) out for the 49er game, Arians said ”not yet.” … Mathieu and cornerback Tharold Simon (ankle) did not practice. … Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (ankle) was among five players that were limited.

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Contract terms were not disclosed by the Cardinals, but sources confirmed to ESPN that the deal is worth $50 million in total. It is guaranteed through 2015 and includes a guaranteed $20.5 million during that span, a source said. The average salary range is between $15.9 million and $16.6 million.

Palmer, who was due to enter free agency after this year, was slated to earn $9 million this season.

CBSSports.com earlier reported terms of the deal.

Palmer, 34, played in the season opener before an injury to his right throwing shoulder forced him to miss the next three games. He returned in Week 6 and is 5-0 this season for the NFL-best Cardinals (7-1).

“Carson has played at an incredibly high level and has been a huge part of the team’s success,” general manager Steve Keim said in a statement. “When you combine his on-field performance with the leadership, stability and professionalism he brings to our team, there was no question that we wanted to extend the relationship and we are excited he felt the same way.”

Palmer joined the Cardinals in 2013 after being acquired in a trade from the Oakland Raiders. Since coming to the Cardinals, Palmer has a 15-6 record in his 21 starts in Arizona, which represents the best record for a modern-era Cardinals QB through his first 21 starts.

After years of individual production, Palmer finally paired it with team success in Arizona. Last season he compiled his first winning record since 2009, and he’s on pace to experience consecutive seasons above .500 for the first time in his career.

Since Week 8 of last year, Palmer has a 12-2 record, the best mark in the NFL over that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Palmer has thrown just two interceptions this season — a year after throwing 22 — to accompany 11 touchdowns. He’s the league’s highest-rated quarterback on third down.

His streak of 18 straight games with a touchdown pass currently is tied with the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady for the fourth longest in the NFL, and his run of six consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes is the second longest behind the Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning.

In 142 career starts, Palmer has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 35,124 yards, 222 touchdowns and 154 interceptions. Last season, he became the first player to throw for 4,000 yards with three different teams.

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Palmer stayed perfect as the starter for Arizona this season, throwing for three touchdowns, while Weeden couldn’t get the Cowboys into the end zone until the game was out of reach in the Cardinals’ 28-17 victory Sunday.

The Cardinals (7-1), who have sole possession of the best record in the NFC this late in the season for the first time since 1974, won their fourth straight, including back-to-back wins over the top two teams in the NFC East.

“This is a very good team,” said Palmer, 5-0 this season after missing two games with a shoulder injury. “We feel like we can play with anybody, and that’s important because we feel like we are improving.”

Romo was out with his third back injury in 18 months, and backup Weeden threw two interceptions as the Cowboys (6-3) dropped their second straight. He finished 18 of 33 for 183 yards with a late score.

“You can’t turn the ball over, and that is on me,” Weeden said.

The Dallas running game wasn’t the same without Romo.

NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray’s record streak of eight straight 100-yard games to start the season ended against a defense that didn’t allow a back over the century mark for the 18th consecutive time.

Murray, who rushed for 79 yards on 19 carries, was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Arizona 34 with the Cardinals leading 14-10 in the fourth quarter. Palmer took the Cardinals the other way for the last of his three scoring tosses, a 1-yarder to Andre Ellington.

“That was the turning point in the game,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. “It wasn’t a time to sit back. We had to continue to attack and we got ourselves some good, favorable plays and Carson made some good decisions.”

Palmer put his team in a 7-0 hole when undrafted Dallas rookie Tyler Patmon ducked under a route, made an over-the-head catch and ran untouched down the Arizona sideline, with some nice blocking from defensive end Anthony Spencer.

But that was his only mistake. He finished 22 of 34 for 249 yards with touchdowns of 7 yards to John Carlson and 11 to Jaron Brown before the short one to Ellington. All three TDs came on third down, with the Cardinals converting 9 of 15 in that situation.

Ellington outgained Murray on the ground with 95 yards and added another 39 receiving.

“You know we always want to outrush the opponent,” Ellington said. “It’s a credit to our defense for shutting him down and giving me a chance to get out there on the field and get more carries and get more yards.”

Romo was relegated to headset-wearing sideline duty because of fractures of two small bones in the back. The injury is unrelated to a herniated disk sustained last year and to offseason surgery to remove a cyst earlier in 2013.

Coach Jason Garrett said Romo would make the long trip to London for next weekend’s game against Jacksonville even though staying home would essentially give the 34-year-old a month between games because of a bye the following week.

“We’re optimistic,” Garrett said. “People with similar injuries have been on a little bit of a similar timetable where they missed the first game and they were getting close to being able to play in that second game.”

Weeden, who left Cleveland when the Browns gave up on him just two seasons after drafting him in the first round, was off-target and out of sync with his receivers most of the game.

His first interception, by Tyrann Mathieu, came with Dallas in scoring range early in the second half. The second wiped out any hope of a comeback by the Cowboys when Antonio Cromartie stepped in front of Terrance Williams after the Cardinals had gone up 21-10 in the fourth quarter.

Game notes

Larry Fitzgerald extended the longest active streak with at least one catch to 157 games. He had a 31-yarder on third down on Arizona’s first scoring drive while trailing 10-0 and led the Cardinals with five catches for 70 yards. … The Cardinals beat the Cowboys for the fourth straight time, and this was the first that wasn’t on the final play. Two of the previous three victories were in overtime. .. Cowboys LB Rolando McClain and DT Tyrone Crawford left the game in the fourth quarter with knee injuries.

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