AZ

CARDINALS HANDLE RAVENS, 39-10, IN MOST COMPLETE WIN OF THE SEASON

By Dusty Arroyo, Arizona Gridiron Dispatch

BALTIMORE — The Cardinals did not need a last-second miracle this time. They did not need a 21-point fourth-quarter rally, and they did not need to spend the final minute asking the offense to rescue everyone from the edge of disaster. Arizona went to Baltimore in Week 3 and delivered its cleanest win of the young season, beating the Ravens 39-10 in a game that looked controlled almost from the opening drive.

After two straight one-score finishes to open the year, this was the kind of performance that travels well and reads even better on Monday morning. Arizona controlled possession, won third down, moved the ball repeatedly into scoring range, and kept Baltimore from building any real rhythm. The Cardinals finished with 427 total yards, 20 first downs, and a dominant 30:03 time of possession. Baltimore managed only 212 total yards, seven first downs, and one offensive touchdown, which did not arrive until the fourth quarter.

Chad Pennington was efficient and steady, finishing 20-of-33 for 286 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. It was not the 623-yard spectacle from Week 1, and it did not need to be. Pennington kept the offense organized, spread the ball around, and helped Arizona build a lead that turned the game into a long uphill climb for Baltimore. The Cardinals also ran the ball 37 times for 148 yards, giving the offense a balanced shape that has grown more important each week.

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ARIZONA SET THE TONE EARLY AND NEVER LET GO

The Cardinals opened the scoring with a long, deliberate touchdown drive that drained more than six minutes off the clock. Pennington capped the 14-play, 72-yard march by finding Joseph Addai for a 9-yard touchdown, giving Arizona a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. It was not flashy, but it was exactly the kind of possession that tells the other sideline what kind of afternoon it is going to be.

In the second quarter, Stephen Gostkowski extended the lead with field goals from 41 yards and 36 yards. Baltimore finally answered with a Seth Marler 40-yard field goal, but Arizona responded before halftime with one of the game’s most important drives. Pennington hit Amani Toomer for a 16-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half, sending the Cardinals into the locker room with a 20-3 lead.

That late-half touchdown was a difference maker because it turned a solid advantage into full control. Baltimore had not shown enough offensively to suggest it could chase points comfortably, and Arizona had already shown it could finish drives in different ways. The Cardinals had touchdowns, field goals, long possessions, and enough defensive resistance to make every Raven drive feel like it had a narrow margin for error.

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GOSTKOWSKI KEPT STACKING POINTS

The third quarter belonged to Arizona’s kicking game and defense. Gostkowski hit another 41-yard field goal after a five-play, 81-yard drive, then added a 36-yarder late in the quarter after the Cardinals marched 67 yards in nine plays. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, Arizona led 26-3, and Baltimore’s offense still had not reached the end zone.

Gostkowski finished a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals, connecting from 41, 36, 41, 36, 30 and 21 yards. He also went 3-for-3 on extra points, giving Arizona 21 points from his right foot alone. It is not usually a headline-grabbing formula, but in this game it was suffocating. Every time Baltimore managed to hold the Cardinals out of the end zone, Arizona still left with points.

In the fourth quarter, Gostkowski added field goals from 30 yards and 21 yards, pushing the lead to 32-3 before Baltimore finally broke through. Cody Pickett found Paris Warren for a 77-yard touchdown with 4:19 remaining, giving the Ravens their only touchdown of the game. Arizona answered with one final scoring drive, as DeAndra’ Cobb ran in from five yards out with 14 seconds left to make it 39-10.

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THE NUMBERS MATCHED THE SCOREBOARD

Arizona’s offensive balance was one of the biggest differences. Addai carried 27 times for 102 yards and also caught the opening touchdown. Cobb added 40 yards on nine carries and scored the final touchdown of the game. James Hodgins had one carry for six yards. The Cardinals averaged exactly 4.0 yards per rush, which was enough to keep Baltimore honest and keep the clock moving.

Through the air, Toomer led the Cardinals with seven catches for 149 yards and one touchdown, earning offensive player of the game honors. T.J. Houshmandzadeh added five catches for 83 yards, while Ike Hilliard caught two passes for 27 yards. Michael Gaines, Joseph Addai and Donald Lee also contributed in the passing game, giving Pennington a wider distribution than Baltimore could comfortably handle.

Baltimore’s offense never found that kind of rhythm. Pickett completed 7 of 19 passes for 171 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jamal Lewis carried 16 times for 50 yards, while the Ravens finished with only 51 rushing yards as a team. Paris Warren’s 77-yard touchdown gave the passing totals a late boost, but most of the afternoon belonged to Arizona’s defense and field-position control.

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FINAL WORD FROM THE DESERT

Week 3 was not dramatic. Arizona had already proven it could win chaos games. Against Baltimore, the Cardinals proved they could win with structure. They won time of possession, won third down, reached the red zone seven times, and held Baltimore to seven first downs. The only real blemishes were three Arizona turnovers and the late touchdown pass to Warren, but neither came close to changing the shape of the game.

The Cardinals are now 3-0, and this was the first win that did not require a late escape. After beating San Francisco in a shootout and Seattle in a grind, Arizona went into Baltimore and handled business with its most complete performance yet.

AZ

CARDINALS GRIND PAST SEAHAWKS, 23-20, TO STAY PERFECT THROUGH WEEK 2

By Dusty Arroyo, Arizona Gridiron Dispatch

GLENDALE — One week after winning a track meet in San Francisco, the Cardinals had to win a much different kind of game. This one was slower, tighter, and a lot less friendly to the highlight reel. Arizona beat Seattle 23-20 in Week 2, leaning on possession, field position, late execution, and a defense that had to survive Shaun Alexander breaking loose more than once.

The Cardinals did not put up the video-game numbers they posted in Week 1, but they did what good teams have to do after an emotional opener. They adjusted to the game in front of them. Arizona controlled the ball for 30:16, produced 20 first downs, converted seven of 15 third downs, and finished with 399 total yards. Seattle had the bigger rushing plays, but the Cardinals had the steadier offense and the final answer.

Chad Pennington finished 20-of-37 for 263 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, giving Arizona enough through the air to keep drives alive even when the Seahawks tightened things up. The Cardinals also got a much stronger ground game than they had in San Francisco, rushing 35 times for 141 yards. Joseph Addai led the way with 25 carries for 102 yards, giving Arizona the kind of workhorse performance that let the offense stay on schedule and keep Seattle’s offense parked on the sideline.

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SEATTLE LANDED THE EXPLOSIVE RUNS. ARIZONA KEPT ANSWERING.

Arizona opened the scoring with a Stephen Gostkowski 28-yard field goal, capping a 10-play, 91-yard drive late in the first quarter. That drive set the tone for what the Cardinals wanted this game to be: long possessions, methodical movement, and enough points to keep pressure on Seattle. The Seahawks answered almost immediately, but not methodically. Shaun Alexander broke free for a 73-yard rushing touchdown, though the missed extra point left Seattle ahead only 6-3.

In the second quarter, Arizona took the lead back when Pennington found T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a 27-yard touchdown. The drive covered 34 yards in just three plays, and the extra point put the Cardinals up 10-6. That score held into halftime, with Arizona’s defense limiting Seattle’s passing game and forcing the Seahawks to rely almost entirely on Alexander’s big-play ability.

The third quarter nearly flipped the game. Gostkowski hit again, this time from 34 yards, extending Arizona’s lead to 13-6. Then Alexander struck for the second time, ripping off an 80-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 13. Seattle followed with the game’s biggest defensive play, as Walli Rainer returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown. In a span of minutes, Arizona went from leading 13-6 to trailing 20-13.

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THE FOURTH QUARTER BELONGED TO THE CARDINALS

Arizona did not panic after the interception return. That mattered. The Cardinals went back to the same approach that had carried them through the afternoon: control the ball, move the chains, and let Gostkowski clean up drives when the end zone was not there. Early in the fourth quarter, he drilled a 36-yard field goal to cut Seattle’s lead to 20-16, finishing an eight-play, 80-yard drive that took 3:37 off the clock.

The winning drive came late, and it looked exactly like the kind of possession Arizona needed. Pennington led the Cardinals 81 yards in seven plays, taking just 1:10 off the clock. With 43 seconds remaining, he found Michael Gaines for a 6-yard touchdown. The extra point gave Arizona a 23-20 lead, and this time Seattle had no response.

The final score was not as outrageous as Week 1, but the late-game nerve was familiar. For the second straight week, Arizona needed points in the fourth quarter and got them. The Cardinals scored 10 unanswered points in the final period, turning a 20-13 deficit into a 23-20 win. That is not as loud as a 49-48 comeback, but it might be the more sustainable sign.

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THE NUMBERS SHOW WHY ARIZONA SURVIVED

Seattle’s offense was built almost entirely on Alexander, who earned offensive player of the game honors after rushing 17 times for 211 yards and two touchdowns. The Seahawks finished with 198 rushing yards, but their passing game never found a rhythm. Matt Hasselbeck completed 10 of 19 passes for 79 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and Seattle managed only 267 total yards despite Alexander’s two long touchdown runs.

Arizona’s defense deserves credit for that imbalance. The Cardinals allowed the explosive runs, but they also forced Seattle into a 2-for-9 performance on third down and held the Seahawks to just nine first downs. Ellis Wyms was named defensive player of the game for Arizona, finishing with a strong performance in a game where the defense needed someone to help settle things down after the big plays.

The Cardinals also protected the ball better overall, despite Pennington’s interception. Seattle lost two fumbles and finished with two turnovers, while Arizona had one turnover and no lost fumbles. In a three-point game, that difference matters. So did the red zone. Arizona reached the red zone four times, scoring once with a touchdown and three times with field goals. Seattle reached the red zone only once and came away empty.

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FINAL WORD FROM THE DESERT

Week 2 did not have the same fireworks as the opener, but it showed another side of this Cardinals team. Arizona can win when Pennington is throwing for 600 yards, and it can win when Addai has to carry the offense through long drives. It can survive a pick-six, survive two Shaun Alexander breakaways, and still be the team making the winning play inside the final minute.

The Cardinals are now 2-0, and they have earned both wins the hard way. One was a shootout. One was a grind. Both ended with Arizona standing on the right side of a one-score finish.

AZ

CARDINALS STUN 49ERS, 49-48, AFTER WILD FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACK

By Dusty Arroyo, Arizona Primetime Dispatch

SANTA CLARA — The Cardinals opened the season by surviving the kind of game that makes coaches age, quarterbacks grin, and defensive coordinators avoid eye contact in the film room. Arizona beat San Francisco 49-48 in Week 1, completing a furious fourth-quarter comeback after trailing by 21 points with just over nine minutes left.

This was not a clean win, and it certainly was not a quiet one. The Cardinals gave up 513 yards of offense, allowed Brooks Bollinger to throw six touchdown passes, and spent most of the afternoon chasing a 49ers team that looked ready to turn the opener into a statement. Instead, Arizona’s passing game kept swinging until the scoreboard finally cracked in its favor.

Chad Pennington finished 32-of-57 for 623 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, powering a Cardinals offense that piled up 649 total yards. Arizona did almost all of its damage through the air, because the run game never really got moving. The Cardinals rushed 15 times for 41 yards, but in a game this frantic, that hardly mattered. Pennington had the ball in his hands, and Arizona needed every throw he had.

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SAN FRANCISCO BUILT THE LEAD. ARIZONA KEPT THROWING.

San Francisco jumped ahead early behind Bollinger, who was excellent despite the loss. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 446 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, finishing with a 141.0 passer rating. The 49ers led 17-3 after the first quarter, 27-17 at halftime and 41-27 late in the third quarter.

When Bollinger hit Tai Streets for a 1-yard touchdown with 9:09 left in the fourth, San Francisco led 48-27 and appeared to have the game locked down. The 49ers had spent most of the day landing explosive shots, and Arizona had spent most of the day trying to keep the game from getting away. At that point, it looked less like a comeback opportunity and more like a matter of damage control.

Arizona did not treat it that way. Pennington found Donald Lee for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:25 remaining, trimming the lead to 48-34. After the Cardinals got the ball back, Pennington struck again, this time hitting Michael Gaines for a 12-yard touchdown with 1:47 left. Suddenly, the deficit was 48-41, and the 49ers were no longer protecting a lead so much as trying to survive the final wave.

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THE FINAL DRIVE DELIVERED THE WIN

That wave arrived in the final minute. Arizona drove 64 yards in six plays, moving quickly and decisively into scoring position. Greg Jones finished the drive with a goal-line touchdown, officially recorded as a 0-yard rush, with 13 seconds left. The play did not do much for the rushing average, but it did everything for the scoreboard.

The Cardinals then converted the two-point attempt, turning a 48-47 deficit into a 49-48 lead and completing one of the wilder comebacks this league is likely to see all season. Arizona attempted only one two-point conversion in the game, and it arrived with the result hanging on it. The Cardinals got it, and that was the difference between a furious rally and a brutal near-miss.

The receiving numbers were as outrageous as the final score. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught eight passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard strike in the third quarter that kept Arizona from slipping too far behind. Amani Toomer added 11 catches for 198 yards and a touchdown, serving as Pennington’s most reliable target throughout the shootout. Gaines added eight receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns, giving Arizona another answer when San Francisco tried to sit on the lead.

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THE 49ERS HAD ENOUGH OFFENSE TO WIN. THEY STILL DID NOT.

For the 49ers, the loss will sting because so much of the box score looked good enough to win. Streets caught two touchdowns, Michael Clayton caught two more, Darrell Jackson scored from 60 yards out, and Dallas Clark opened the game with a 16-yard touchdown. San Francisco committed no turnovers, averaged 14.06 yards per completion, and scored touchdowns on two of its three red-zone trips.

That is usually a winning formula. The problem was Arizona’s volume. The Cardinals ran 72 offensive plays, converted seven of 13 third downs, controlled the ball for 24:49, and reached the red zone six times. They scored on every red-zone trip, finishing with four touchdowns and two field goals. Even with the interception and a mostly absent ground game, Arizona kept creating possessions that ended in points.

Defensively, neither team will be especially eager to rewatch this one. The Cardinals allowed too many explosive plays, and the 49ers had no answer once Pennington settled into rhythm. But Arizona made enough late stops to give its offense a chance, and in a game this volatile, that was enough.

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FINAL WORD FROM THE DESERT

Week 1 wins do not need to be pretty. They just need to count. Arizona’s 49-48 victory was messy, dramatic and probably not ideal for anyone’s blood pressure. It was also a road win over San Francisco, sealed by a last-minute touchdown and a gutsy two-point conversion.

For the Cardinals, that is a season opener worth keeping.