Arizona Cardinals Regular Season - Cardinals 21

The Setup
"The Eagles had lost 6 days earlier to the Bears and their local media was ready to stick the proverbial fork in them. The Cardinals came back from the dead, stopping the Rams on 4th & short more than once and blocking a chip-shot FG near the end of regulation and then returning a punt 99 yards to steal the game in OT. Question of the Hour: "Which team did you think felt better?"

It was unclear how Philly would respond to their Monday defeat. They could either throw in the towel and use their shorter work week as an excuse for playing "flat" or they could regroup one more time and swing for the fences. Game was on the East Coast at 1 pm (but due to the end of daylight savings time in the East) the time differential was 2 hours instead of 3 (i.e. kickoff would be at 11 am ZT instead of 10 am). Philly fans being what they are when things don't go well, it was unclear whether the Eagles would get much of a home field advantage."

The Lede:
Cards won a war of attrition on the road. Both teams were true to "who they really were." Although there were a few "Michael Vick moments", his performance was extremely "ordinary" (16 of 34, 2 picks, 128 yards). Add in his 79 rushing yards and the Eagle QB generated just 207 of offense. Philly got 81 rushing yards out of McCoy, Samuels had a pick six and their pass rushers sacked John Skelton 4 times. Big story-line coming out of Philly (and polluting the airways as an incessant John Lynch whine) was the benching of DeSean Jackson and an injury to their #2 receiver (Maclin) - as though they the only reasons the Eagles lost. (Conveniently ignored was the absence of the Cardinals starting QB (Kolb), starting safety (Rhodes), starting corner (Toler) and starting TE (Heap) along with the nagging knee injuryof our star running back (Wells).

On the Cardinals side of the ledger, John Skelton, though a bit shaky early, had just enough mojo to rack up 315 passing yards, lead his team to 2 fourth quarter TD's and complete 7 throws to a brilliant Larry Fitzgerald (who to my count had at least 3 sick catches) for 146 yards on 7 receptions. This despite a tissue paper offensive line that too often failed to pick up the extra stunting, twisting or blitzing pass rusher and forcing Skelton to frequently hurry is throws or run for his life. As in the Ram game, it was the defense that carried the day, limiting McCoy to just a couple of 15+ yard runs en route to an 81-yard rushing day and preventing Vick from completing 50% of his passes. Defensive standouts were Calais Campbell (who, among other things, batted down and intercepted a pass at the LOS) and Daryl Washington who was all over the field (one sack; led the team with 9 tackles). Perhaps the biggest unsung defensive factor was how Cardinal defenders away from the ball prevented long-gainers by providing deep protection/pursuit to cover their teammates' backsides.

Despite a couple of crushing earlier setbacks (in the form of Samuels' pick 6 interception and a couple of nast Philly sacks) the Cardinals didn't lose their poise or desire and hung around just long enough for Skelton and Fitz to make a few plays and steal a hard-fought win.

Game Recap

1st Quarter

Cards received, started at their 14 and went 3 & out. Philly returned the punt to their own 33 and picked up one first down before turning the ball over on downs on the Cardinal 38. (Note - At the time, I viewed both the benching of DeSean Jackson and "going for it" on 4th & 2 as arrogant indicators that Coach Reid took the Cardinals kind of lightly). Cards (aided by a couple of Philly penalties) managed to move to the Philly 17 where Feely shanked the first of two attempted chip shots (this one from 35 yards). Philly took over on their own 25 but the defense held them to 3 & out. The two teams exchanged an additional 3 & out apiece. On the next possession, Skelton led the offense from the Cardinal 26 to the Eagle 25 where Feely's 2nd FG attempt (this one from 43-yards) was wide right. Eagles took over on their own 33 and moved to their own 40 in 4 plays (including a +13 yard run by McCoy) as the quarter ended. 1st Quarter Score: Cards 0 - Eagles 0.

2nd Quarter

Eagles were stopped at the Cardinal 47 and punted (Good coverage of Peterson all afternoon). Cards started from their own 15. A 7-yard sack of Skelton by DRC forced us to punt from our own 22. Philly ball on their own 33. Completions to Celek of +20 and +13 yards weren't enough (due to a for a 6-yard loss by McCoy on a tackle by Adams) forced a punt. Cards took over on their own 7. On the second play from scrimmage, Skelton's pass intended for Fitzgerald was picked off by Samuels (who jumped the route) and returned for a touchdown. Eagles 7 - Cardinals 0.
9:16 left til halftime. The Cardinal offense bounced right back. The Howler returned the KO to the Cardinal 16. Skelton completed 5 passes on a 10-play drive capped by a 10-yard completion on an inside slant to Fitzgerald for a 10-yard TD. A 15-yard roughing the passer penalty and a nifty end-around run by Roberts for +12 were key plays during the drive. Eagles 7 - Cardinals 7.
4:48 still on the clock. DRC ran the KO back to the 30. Vick used scrambles and short passes to move to the Arizona 22. A questionable defensive holding penalty on Marshall (who appeared to "touch" Steve Smith on the waist) nullified a nifty interception by Adrian Wilson in the end zone. Three plays later McCoy ran it in off LG for a one-yard TD. Eagles 14 - Cardinals 7.
0:20 left. Nada. Halftime Score: Eagles 14 - Cardinals 7.

3rd Quarter

Philly returned the KO to their own 19 and picked up a 1st down before D Washington's sack of Vick (for minus-3) derailed their drive at the Eagle 44. Cards returned the piunt to their own 18 where Skelton was immediately sacked for minus-10 yards. en route to a penalty-riddled 3 & out. Zastudil punted from his own 10. Maclin returned the punt to his own 45. But a minus-17-yard scramble/grounding call forced Philly to go 3 & out. Punt was returned for no gain but a holding call on Marshall pushed us back to our own 1. A minus-7-yard sack of Skelton forced another Cardinal 3 & out. (Had us asking the question - "What are we doing? Why are we here)? Eagloes fair caught the punt at their own 37. It was here that fortunes began to turn - a "tight interference call on Jefferson and a 29-yard scamper around left end by McCoy moved the ball to the Arizona 22. The combination of small gains and a 5-yard offensive penalty made it 3rd & 6 at the Cardinal 18. On the next play from scrimmage, Calais Campbell batted down Vick's pass at the LOS and managed to come down with the ball before it had the chance to hit the ground. Cards' ball on our own 17.We picked a couple of 1st downs and it was 3rd & 12 at the Cardinal 48 as the quarter ended. 3rd Quarter Score: Eagles 14 - Cardinals 7.

4th Quarter

Zastudil punted. It was fair caught on the Philly 13. A roughness call on Washington on the next play moved Philly to their own 42 but the Cardinal defense clamped down, and Philly was forced to punt 4 plays later. Peterrson returned the punt one-yard to the Arizona 11. An encroachment call on Asomugha on a 3rd & 10 helped sustain the Cardinal drive to set up a Fitzgerald touchdown on a 7-yard juggle & catch completion to re-tie the score. It was an 8-play Skelton-led drive that included gains of: +12, +29, +10, +20, +6 and +7. Eagles 14 - Cardinals 14.
9:18 left. I thought the officiating on the following series to be atrocious. Lewis returned the KO to the Philly 30, but a hands penalty on Philly moved them back to their 20. Two plays later, Vick's pass intended for Celek was picked off by Marshall (who caught it, fell to the ground and rolled over 2 or 3 times with the ball clearly in his possession before surrendering the ball. Orginal call was an interception, but the replay by the homers on Diamond-Vision gave Reid reason to see the replay and challenge the call, which was then reversed. But two plays later, the Eagles were forced to punt from their 20 anyway. For the first time all afternoon, Peterson got a little wriggle room and motored around and down the right side for (what the log says was 6 yards but what looked more like) 30 yards; but the return was nullified by a roughness call on R Johnson (whose block was "clean" because his head was clearly out in front of his man). Cards ball on their own (whoop de doo!) 13. Three plays later, Skelton's pass was picked off by Asomugha who returned the ball to the Cardinal 26. (Ever have that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach)?
6:59 still left. Eagles moved to the Cardinal 18 but were forced to settle for a 36-yard Henery FG attempt. (He made his). Eagles 17 - Cardinals 14
5:06 left. Howler returned the KO to our own 13 (We've had rotten field position all day). Talk about resliance? Check out these Skelton highs and lows: To Fitz for +7; Incomplete to Fitz; Sack for minus-7; (3rd and 19): To Chester Taylor for +17; Beautiful touch pass to Howler down the left sideline for +30; Incomplete; Incomplete; (3rd & 10 at the Philly 38); Gorgeous deep touch pass to Fitz who stretches out 100% to snare Skelton's throw and crawl and skid his way to just a couple of feet short of the goal line. Run by Beanie for zero; Run by Beanie for minus-4. (3rd & Goal from the 5); Inside pass to Doucet who jukes Coleman and barrels in from 5-yards out. Cardinals 24 - Eagles 17.
1:53 still left on the clock. KO was returned to the Philly 19. It became a race of Yardage vs. Time. Three of first four Eagle offensive plays were for positive yardage (completion for +6, False Start for minus-5; scramble for +8; completion for +14. We're down to 0:55. Two incompletions made it 3rd & 10 at the Philly 42. A holding call made it 3rd & 20 at the Philly 32. Vick went for all the marbles with a deep throw down the left sideline, but AJ Jefferson (who continued to be picked on the earlier part of the game) caught it going away (like a receiver) and the Eagle threat had ended. Skelton took two knees to end the game. Final Score: Cardinals 24 - Eagles 17.

Game Stats

It sure didn't feel like it at the time,but we racked up 23 first downs (to Philly's 15).
Third Down Efficiency: Cards 6 for 16; Eagles 3 for 15. (That's a Bingo)!
They killed us in Net Yards Rushing (166 to 88)
We ran the ball a respecable 29 times (vs. 40 passing attempts). Eagle ratio was 24:34).
Beanie ran 23 times for 62 yards.
Fitz led the Cards with 7 catches for 146 yards and two TD's. Roberts and King were runners up with 4 apiece. But what Fitz's stats don't show you were three incredible catches - two unbelievable juggles in traffic and the other the 37-yard diving grab to set up the winning TD.
We allowed Skelton to get sacked 4 times (plus countless additional hits, hurries and pressures). We got to Vick twice.
We picked off two Vick passes. Skelton was intercepted twice (one by Samuels for a TD).
Washington and Lenon were credited with our 2 sacks (but the grounding call for minus-17 should have been considered a sack as well).
Washington led the team in tackles(10), followed by Acho (6) and Marshall (6).
Campbell and Jefferson were credited with the 2 Cardinal picks.

Bright Spots

Although he looked pretty much like a work-in-progress for much of the game, John Skelton kept getting up after getting knocked down and kept it close long enough for him to lead his team on two 80+ yard drives that ultimately led to victory. His deep throw to Fitz, inside TD throws to Doucet and Fitz and sideline throw to LSH show you that "he can do it." The key for him is to do it more often and consistently - his completion percentage needs to be 10% higher and he absolutely must protect the ball better deep in his own territory. But, hey! 2 & 0 ain't chopped liver!
Fitz's 7 catches (the 2 grabs he juggled and the 37-yard diving catches will be highlight-reel catches 50 years from now
Doucet and LSH had two huge clutch grabs late in the game.
I liked the way Roberts looked on that end-around for +12. I could see him being our deep Wildcat RB.
Calais Campbell is looking more and more like a beast.
Daryl Washington has emerged as our most impactful LB if not all around defensive player
The way A-Dub turned his shoulder to avoid being flagged for excessive violence on that hit on Maclin shows growing maturity..
Peterson is beginning to show indications of being more veteran than rook.
You had to love Jefferson's pick near the end.
The best thing about our defense was the way that our deeper guys had our initial tacklers' backs so that McCoy, Celek and other Philly game-breakers never "broke one." (Sure, they'd occasionally outrun our guys around the edge or escape to the second level, but there always seemed to be another Cardinal defender who'd swoop in from on deep to save the day).

The Dark Side

Skelton inside his 10.
Pass Pro - I think Wiz may have it right - We're blessed having to decide on Kolb or Skelton, but what muddies the waters is that poor pass protection can make both QB's look pretty pedestrian. Some of our problems weren't due to "their speed and our slowness." I can recall at least two instances where Philly shot a pass rusher - either on a corner blitz or stunting, twisting or blitzing up the middle and none of our blockers picked the dude up!
Jefferson's back arm - Both he and Peterson will be Pro Bowl material once they perfect the technique of keeping their back arm off the receiver when breaking up passes.
Dray still looks a bit shaky making the tough catch of the poorly thrown ball.

Last Word:
One of my favorite expressions is: "Nice going; now go out and do it again." After coming from behind to beat the Rams, the Cardinals went back out the next week - against "the Dream Team"...on the road...coming from behind in the 4th period. And they did it again. Now "do it again; again!"

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