GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals did just enough good things to beat Washington 30-20 on Sunday. And they did more than enough bad things to keep coaches and players busy this week as they prepare for the Oakland Raiders.

Coach Bruce Arians said his team made 40 mental errors, divided evenly between offense and defense. There were also 14 penalties and enough sloppiness to last a few games.

But as Arians’ mentor, Bear Bryant, liked to say, a team can learn as much in near defeat as it can in defeat.

“Offensively, we had chances to put that thing away and couldn’t get it done,” he said. “We’ve got to find ways to finish things when we have them in those situations, when you have a team on the brink.”

The offense should be producing more than it is; and, with a defense beset by injuries, the other side of the ball needs to come through.

Quarterback Carson Palmer was efficient after missing a month of work, completing 28 of 44 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. He did not have a pass intercepted. In fact, the Cardinals haven’t had a pass intercepted all season.

Palmer played for the first time since suffering a nerve injury in his right shoulder in the opener. He didn’t have full arm strength, but it was good enough.

Even better for the Cardinals, Palmer felt fine Monday and should be ready to go this weekend in Oakland.

“It was solid, but we haven’t even begun to scratch how good we can be,” Arians said. “Again, Carson being off a month, the timing … There are a lot of excuses you can make; none are accepted.”

NOTES: DE Frostee Rucker aggravated a right calf injury but returned to the game. He likely will be day-to-day this week. … WR Larry Fitzgerald caught his first touchdown pass of the year. It was the 88th of his career. That ties him with Don Maynard for 12th in NFL history. His six receptions give him 865, moving him from 22nd to 20th in league history. … DE Calais Campbell missed the game with a sprained MCL. He could return this week. … QB Carson Palmer will continue to receive treatment on the nerve injury that caused him to miss three games. Palmer has described his injury as “finicky.”

REPORT CARD VS. REDSKINS

PASSING OFFENSE: B — Quarterback Carson Palmer was efficient in his first action since the season opener. He completed 28 of 44 for 250 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals have not had a pass intercepted this season. Palmer enjoyed solid protection and the team finally made Larry Fitzgerald a focal point of the offense. He had six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus — It’s still not consistent. Andre Ellington broke some runs outside, but the power game inside produced little. The Cardinals gained 74 yards on 23 attempts.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — Cornerback Patrick Peterson gave up two touchdown passes but the Cardinals intercepted three of Kirk Cousins’ passes. Outside linebacker Alex Okafor had the first two sacks of his career. Safety Tyrann Mathieu started and played as much as he has all season. Free safety Rashad Johnson had two interceptions. Cornerback Jerraud Powers intercepted a pass and forced a fumble.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — The team’s two best run defenders, end Calais Campbell and outside linebacker Matt Shaughnessy, are out with knee injuries. The Cardinals compensated, however, and limited the Redskins to 72 yards and just one run of more than nine yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A — Rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro made three field goal attempts, and he’s perfect for the year at 14 of 14. Five of his six kickoffs were touchbacks. The return games were solid and punter Drew Butler was steady as four of his seven punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.

COACHING: B — The defense was listless in the first half, and it’s not good enough to play without passion. Coordinator Todd Bowles chewed out his players at halftime and they responded. The offensive game plan was solid, although the team didn’t stick with the run at times in the second half.