Arizona Cardinals’ tale of success and failure (Part IV)
Continued from part III...
Against San Francisco 49ers
After unexpectedly defeating Dallas Cowboys, Cardinals staged biggest upset of their season when they hosted the 49ers who had only lost two games in the season.
Kolb started for them again, but was sidelined after another injury. As a result, Skelton stepped on the field.
He could not control sending interceptions, but compensated that flaw by completing 19 of 28 attempted passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, receiving a quarterback rating of 106.5.
The 49ers struggled to score touchdowns and relied mostly on field goals. They scored their first touchdown in the third quarter to get 12 points ahead of Cardinals.
However, Cardinals scored a touchdown in the third quarter which was followed by another in the final to win the game, 21-19.
Against Cleveland Browns
Cardinals have had enough of failures, and now they were looking in an opposite direction.
They had won five of their last six games before hosting Cleveland Browns in a game after which the former’s winning streak stretched to four.
Kolb was out owing to the recent injury and Skelton was the one who got the start.
Browns were 10 points ahead of Cardinals by the end of third quarter, but the Cards managed a field goal and touchdown in the fourth to level the score and send the game to overtime.
Jay Feely got a 22-yard field goal in the overtime as Cardinals edged past Browns, 20-17.
At Cincinnati
After enjoying the winning run, Cardinals suffered a blow against Cincinnati Bengals.
Bengals dominated Cardinals in the first three quarters of the game in which the visitors were once again bothered by the inefficiency of their quarterback.
Bengals scored a field goal and a touchdown in the first quarter to get 10 points. They did the same in the second to get a total of 20 points on the board.
In the third quarter, Bengals had a field goal.
Cardinals’ first scoring move came in the final quarter when they were 23 points behind.
They managed two touchdowns and a field goal, but still fell seven points short.
Both the touchdowns were a result of Skelton’s passes, but the quarterback sent three interceptions in the game, and eventually became the apparent reason for the failure, 23-16.
Against Seattle Seahawks
At this time, the fate of almost all the teams in the season was decided.
And the same was the case with Cardinals who were only battling for their reputation as 49ers had already qualified for the playoffs from the NFC West division.
Cardinals played their last game of the season against Seattle Seahawks.
Kolb still could not return and Skelton eventually was the only choice for the coach.
Skelton could not control the interceptions and sent one in the game. However, the overall performance of the team was commendable.
Cardinals were seven points ahead after the third quarter, but Seahawks fought back hard. At the end of the regulation, both the teams were tied.
In the overtime Cardinals managed a field goal and ended the season on a positive note, 23-20.
The reason for failure
Cardinals were pathetic in the first half of the season as they lost six out of their seven games.
However, they were extremely impressive in the second half of the season in which they played nine games and won seven.
The main cause of the failure was the team’s inability to find a proper quarterback.
Kevin Kolb’s absence was indeed felt, but he too was unable to control sending interceptions, which sometimes resulted in turnovers for touchdowns.
One just hopes the management will work with all the quarterbacks in the offseason and give them the due practice in the preseason so as to get better results next time.
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