Cardinals now plan to start Lindley, not Thomas, in season finale

Things have gone a bit sideways at quarterback the past six weeks.

The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly switched courses again, opting to start Ryan Lindley again at quarterback in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, after head coach Bruce Arians had said it would be rookie Logan Thomas initially.

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The Arizona Republic's Kent Somers is reporting that after a bad week of practice, Thomas — who was named starter on Monday — would not start and that Lindley, who has struggled the past few games, would be back under center.

Thomas got off to a "shaky start" in practice on Wednesday, per Arians, and then must have followed it up with another poor performance during the Christmas session, after which Somers' report came out. Happy holidays? The rookie might not agree with that sentiment right now.

Franchise QB Carson Palmer started most of the season prior to suffering a torn ACL in the Week 10 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Drew Stanton replaced Palmer for two stretches this season, including after Palmer's ACL injury, but Stanton also went down with a knee injury in the rematch against the Rams in Week 15.

Arians said Stanton is 85 percent likely to return for the Cardinals in the playoffs but apparently isn't ready to come back this week, even with a potential first-round bye at stake. The Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot but could lose the division to the Seattle Seahawks this weekend and would have to go on the road and play either Jan. 3 or 4 if they do.

Lindley has completed 22-of-54 passes (40.4 percent) for 246 yards with an interception in his two games (one start) this season. In 225 pass attempts as a pro, dating back to his rookie season of 2012, Lindley has no touchdown passes but eight interceptions.

Thomas has a mere eight NFL pass attempts in his career (one last week) and has completed only one — an 81-yard touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos, back in Week 5.

The Cardinals must win Sunday and have the Seahawks lose to the Rams in order to win the division. Those hopes, after such a fantastic season, are starting to fade given the team's quarterback quandary.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm

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