It’s nice to be proven right from time to time. This morning, I said that if Arizona could hold New England to 24 points, they had a chance to win. Final Score Cardinals 20, Patriots 18.
Despite nearly clenching defeat from the jaws of victory, the team held on to win. The Arizona defense dictated the game, while the offense was just good enough. Running back Ryan Williams, a second year player who sat out his entire rookie season with an injury, coughed up the football as the Cardinals were in chew-up-the-clock mode. While it could have cost the game, let’s remember this was only the second NFL game in the career of Williams. He is essentially a rookie.
I’m not sure why Stephen Gostowski badly missed the 42-yerd field goal with 6 seconds on the game clock, but the Cardinals do have a reputation for stellar kick defense. They blocked a punt earlier in the game. What I do know is that I saw two red jerseys charging at Gostowski just as he kicked the ball. Gostowski simply choked, but surely the Arizona kick defense reputation played an enormous role in that head game.
The game went to the team that deserved to win. Arizona has reason to be proud of their defense. They showed today that they can stay with anyone. Two games, two teams kept under 20 points.
I must say, I’m enjoying this Cardinals team even more than the explosive Kurt Warner team that put 45 points on the board every day. It feels strange to look forward to the opponent having the ball, but it’s actually fun to watch this Arizona defense. While I know that any defense will be scored upon, it’s a different kind of football when you know that defense can potentially shut down a team with great field position and prevent touchdowns that would have been nearly automatic during the Warner days.
The only regret is that defensive coordinator Ray Horton will probably be another team’s head coach next season.
