The Cardinals have a bye week coming. And there will be some roster changes, General Manager Steve Keim said Monday.

"I would say there will be a few," Keim said during his appearance on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7 "We'll take a look at some different players. There should be a change or two."

How much of that is voluntary and how much is forced upon the Cardinals is yet to be seen. Keim said left tackle Jared Veldheer -- who was wearing a heavy wrap on his right arm in the locker room after leaving Sunday's game -- has a triceps injury. Keim said the team was still determining the extent of the injury, but that's one where you wonder if it could be serious. Even if it isn't long-term, the Cards may need an extra tackle available if Veldheer misses time. (Keim didn't address Tyrann Mathieu's shoulder, but he too is getting an MRI today.)

UPDATE: Veldheer needs surgery and is done for the season.

The rest of Keim's shorter segment had to do with the second half and the big picture.

"The bye couldn't come at a better time, not only getting healthy but also to reassess where we are at," Keim said.

-- The loss in Carolina was a "microcosm of the season as a whole," Keim said. A slow start, unacceptable mistakes after. There were too many penalties, Keim said, and the pass protection was poor, which certainly was no secret. Keim said he was particularly disappointed in the play of guard Mike Iupati and Earl Watford.

-- Keim didn't have much to say about the fumble/review non-change, other than to say "if there are any complaints on our side, it's frustration and excuses, because we had the opportunities to overcome those."

-- Keim said he thought Carson Palmer threw the ball exceptionally well -- when he had time -- and that J.J. Nelson has made excellent progress.

-- He was disappointed in the tackling, and that the edge rush and intensity the team had had on defense the past few games was missing.

-- Keim said the "silver lining" of the postseason scenarios is the NFC West and the fact no team is running away with anything. "We are certainly in a position to challenge," he said. Keim is right of course, saying the Cardinals still basically control their destiny. He noted that in 2008, the left the field in both Philadelphia on Thanksgiving night and in New England wondering if that team was below average. Then they got hot and made the Super Bowl. Keim emphasized the wasn't saying that would happen with this year's version, but noted this team has a similar chance to prove people wrong.

-- "We will certainly see the second half of the season how many of these guys are mentally tough," Keim said. "This team hasn't faced a lot of adversity the last few years. Now, we have."