I am not one to brag, but when you live in Arizona and have been an Arizona Cardinals fan as long as me, you start believing in miracles. My team is (2-2) in week 4 of the NFL Season.
Wow! Go Cards!
I know most of you are laughing right now because I can agree a (2-2) record is very pathetic, but let me share all the franchise records this team has beaten with this (2-2) start. LOL :)
NOTES FROM CARDINALS 21-14 WIN VS. PITTSBURGH
KEN WHISENHUNT became the first Cardinals head coach to win his first two home games since Charley Winner in 1966. Winner's Cardinals won the first three home games before tying their fourth and finished 5-1-1 at home in '66.
The Cardinals were able to beat a Pittsburgh team that looked nearly unstoppable in the first three weeks of the season. The Steelers won their first three games by an average of 23.6 points and trailed for only 12 seconds all season. Below is a look at Pittsburgh's numbers yesterday compared to their first three games:
| First 3 Games | Vs. Cardinals |
Avg. Pts Scored | 32.3 | 14 |
Avg. Pts. Allowed | 8.7 | 21 |
Rushing Yds./Game | 198.3 | 77 |
Rushing Yds./Game | 0 | 1 |
Return TDs Allowed | 0 | 1 |
Passing Yds Allowed/Game | 164.7 | 215 |
Total Sacks Allwd/Yds Lost | 4/23 | 4/39 |
Total Sacks/Yds Lost | 12/87 | 2/10 |
Total Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 2 |
Total Yds/Game | 378.3 | 282 |
Total Yds Allwd/Game | 244.3 | 301 |
Total 4th Qtr Pts Allowed | 7 | 14 |
Total Penalties/Yds | 11/67 | 11/72 |
3rd Down Pct. | 55.5 | 33.3 |
Opp. 3rd Down Pct. | 38.1 | 50.0 |
The Cardinals defense held Willie Parker, the NFL's leading rusher heading into the game, to just 37 yards on 19 carries, marking the ninth game in a row that the team has not allowed a 100-yard rusher. Parker was held to under 100 yards rushing for the first time in five games.
Parker's 37 yards are the lowest total for him in 2007 and his 1.9 yards-per-carry average is his lowest since running for 20 yards on 11 carries (1.8-average) on 9/18/06 at Jacksonville. It is the second-lowest yards-per-carry average of his career. Parker was held to two yards or fewer on 13 of his 19 rushing attempts, including three rushes that went for negative yards.
The Steelers entered the game with the NFL's #1 rushing offense (198.3 yards/game) but gained just 77 yards yesterday, their lowest since December 24th of last year against the Ravens.
Including their four sacks, the Cardinals caught the Steelers eight times in the backfield yesterday.
Arizona recorded its first two interceptions of the season against a QB (Roethlisberger) who had thrown just one in the first three games. The first was by Adrian Wilson, who came up with a huge play when he picked off a pass in the end zone to kill a third quarter threat. The second interception sealed the win when defensive back Ralph Brown picked off Roethlisberger in the final minute. It was Brown's first interception since 2003 as a Giant (11/2/03 @ NYJ).
DARNELL DOCKETT collected three sacks, two quarterback hits and a forced fumble vs. Pittsburgh. His three sacks are a career-high and give him 5.5 sacks through the first four games. The most sacks he has collected in a season was 3.5 in his rookie year of 2004 and he has almost equaled his career sacks total (6.0 in 48 games) in the first four games of the season.
Dockett's performance yesterday marked only the 15th time in team history a Cardinal recorded three or more sacks in a game.
Franchise Single-Game Sack Records |
Curtis Greer vs. Philadelphia, 12/1883 (4.5 Sacks) |
Bertrand Berry vs. NY Giants, 11/14/04 (4.0 Sacks) |
Darnell Dockett vs. Pittsburgh, 9/30/07 (3.0 Sacks) |
Bertrand Berry at Oakland, 10/22/06 |
Adrian Wilson at St. Louis, 11/20/05 |
Simeon Rice at Philadelphia, 11/19/00 |
Ken Harvey at Washington, 9/12/93 |
Ken Harvey at Dallas 11/3/91 |
Ken Harvey at Atlanta, 12/9/90 |
Freddie Joe Nunn at Dallas, 10/30/88 |
Curtis Greer vs. Dallas, 9/13/87 |
Al Baker vs. Philadelphia, 12/18/83 |
E.J. Junior at NY Giants, 12/4/83 |
David Galloway vs. Seattle, 11/13/83 |
Curtis Greer vs. Dallas, 9/11/83 |
Dockett currently ranks second in the NFL in sacks with 5.5, trailing only the New York Giants Osi Umenyiora who has 6.0 sacks.
STEVE BREASTON'S 73-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first for the Cardinals since 9/12/93 at Washington when Johnny Bailey returned a Reggie Roby punt 58 yards. It was the Cardinals first return in the last 545 attempts.
Breaston is the first Cardinals rookie with a punt return touchdown since Vai Sikahema in 1986 and his 73-yarder was the longest since a 76-yard touchdown by Sikahema in 1987.
Breaston is tied for second in the NFC and fourth in the NFL with a punt return average of 14.8 yards.
LARRY FITZGERALD tallied his first 100-yard receiving game of the season and 10th of his career yesterday catching 11 passes for 123 yards.
Fitzgerald has now caught 37 passes for 533 yards and three touchdowns in the last five games he has played without fellow wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who missed yesterday's game with a hip injury. Fitzgerald has averaged 7.4 catches and 106.6 yards in those five games.
Opp Rec Yds TD
9/30/07 vs. Pit 11 123 0
11/13/05 @ Dal 9 141 1
11/6/05 vs. Sea 8 102 0
10/24/04 vs. Sea 4 73 1
10/10/04 @ SF 5 94 1
JERHEME URBAN established a new career-high with five receptions for 53 yards vs. Pittsburgh. Urban's previous single-game high was three catches, which he established vs. Dallas on 10/23/05 as a member of the Seahawks. Urban caught his second career touchdown, his first since 12/6/04 vs. Dallas while with Seattle, yesterday when he caught a six-yard pass from Kurt Warner in the third quarter.
KURT WARNER has now appeared in four games as a backup to starter Matt Leinart and has completed 60-of-86 passes (70%) for 851 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in those appearances. Warner has now attempted 102 consecutive passes without throwing an interception.
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS: The Cardinals offensive trio of Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Edgerrin James have been as good as advertised in 2007. Fitzgerald (26) and Boldin (22) ranked second and sixth, respectively, in the NFC in receptions while James is second in the NFC in rushing with 354 yards, trailing only Minnesota's Adrian Peterson who has 383 yards. The trio has combined for six touchdowns.
MIKE BARR added two more punts inside the 20 yard-line yesterday, bringing his total to nine on the year, good for third overall in the NFL.
The last time the Cardinals started a season 2-2 was 2002 when the team got off to a 4-2 start.
(Information provided by Arizona Cardinals E-News)
Next week the Cards play the 0-4 Rams and we have a chance to have a winning record.
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Bill- The packers are my 2nd favorite team. I was born in Wisconsin, and you are a cheesehead for life. I was so happy to hear that Favre decided to return and now its paying off. Good for him.
Gary - It must feel good...your team has been one of the sad sacks of the NFL for years. They always found a way to lose. I remember back in the day my Patriots used to be the same. Now they are the franchise everyone else is jealous of. It looks like another super-bowl run for my team.
Well the Rams 0-4 play the Cards and Warner this Sunday. Best of luck...
I also appreciate your enthusiasm about the Cardinals, although I am a Cowboys fan. I remember being really optimistic back when the 'Boys went 1-15 during Aikman's first season. I bet the Cardinals will beat the Rams. Their quarterback is injured/benched. He was knocked out of the game last week in Texas Stadium.
Their quarterback is injured/benched. He was knocked out of the game last week in Texas Stadium.
Jason Marc went into that game with two broken ribs, the cowboys, like all teams we have played hit him hard due to our O line was all but done after week two. Benched no just time to let him get right! Best of luck with the Boys the rest of the way.
Bill G- Are they done cheating?, LOL,
Bill B- The Bengals are have a rough go at it lately, the players need to learn to get along and quit fighting in the locker room.
David- The Cards, might just get a break this week, since the Rams have so many injuries.
Jason- The Cowboys are doing great, I love the way Tony Romo has been playing. Next Brett Favre?
David- Like I said the Cards might get a break this week.
Go Cards!!
I hope the Cardinals can finally make something of their team. My husband and I had a good friend that played for the Cardinals for several years and when we visited him he wasn't too postive about the ownership. He felt that the ownership didn't help them win so I hope that is turning around.
Linda- In the past, I would have agreed, but in the last few years, the father has really been letting his son run the team and the ownership factor is becoming less of an issue.
Gary - That is good to hear. That nice new stadium is definitely a step in the right direction. I know the players hated playing at the old stadium.
Linda- Not only did the players hate it, the fans did as well. You would have the those day games with it being about 100 degrees on the field. Wow was it hot. My wife and I still goto Sun Devils stadium to see the Arizona State Sun Devils play, and those are night games and its still hard to be there. As a season ticket holder to the Arizona Cardinals, I am now spoiled with A/C and a great stadium.
Gary - I feel your pain. The one game that I did go to at Sun Devil stadium was hot! But as a Cowboys season ticket holder, I'm use to the heat but that still isn't any fun. The Cowboys' current stadium is very hot. With only the hole in the top, there is no breeze or air circulation but the new stadium is on the way!!
Linda- The cowboys look good this year. I never had the pleasure of visiting that stadium, my only experience was when I flew into Fort Worth/Dallas for a layover, I saw it when we took off again.