Larry Fitzgerald heroics lead the Cardinals to a victory against the Seahawks – NFL Week 17 Recap
A spectacular one-handed catch by Larry Fitzgerald during overtime set up Jay Feely, who scored a 28-yard field goal to see Arizona Cardinals through against Seattle Seahawks 23-20 in the regular season finale at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday.
The heroics of Fitzgerald, who is also selected for Pro Bowl 2012, were outstanding. He caught two passes on what later became the final drive of the game.
At first, quarterback John Skelton sent a 26-yard pass to Fitzgerald, who grabbed the ball perfectly. But the best was yet to come. Following the early catch, Skelton once again sent the ball to the Pro Bowler from eight yards.
The catch was much more difficult for Fitzgerald, who was not in the ball’s reach. He cut through the defence to make room, and jumped. While sailing through the air, Fitzgerald stretched his arm and managed to get his palm under the ball before it landed
on the ground to get within the field goal range. The rest was Feely’s responsibility.
"The performance of Larry Fitzgerald, he is an incredible football player," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "He is as good as you can get in this game and he showed it. I just marvel at the things he does. He has done it before and he did it again and
it proves who he is."
The Cardinals ended the season at 8-8 with second spot in the National Football Conference West division. They played four overtime games this season and won all of them.
"I wish we could play more games in overtime," Fitzgerald said. "If we play 16 games in overtime next year, we might go 16-0."
Despite being eliminated from the playoff-race, the Cardinals ended the season the way they wanted. They came strong in the field and got a lead in the first quarter when Chester Taylor managed a one-yard touchdown run.
The Seahawks opened their account in the second quarter when Steven Hauschka scored a 43-yard field goal. At 03:28, Feely scored a 41 yard field goal to take the halftime score to 10-3.
In the third quarter, the Seahawks equalised the scores, thanks to a 48-yard run from Leon Washington. Around four minutes later, the Cardinals once again got the lead. Skelton sent a 13-yard touchdown pass to Todd Heap to take the score to 17-10.
The Cardinals stretched their lead in the final quarter through a 43-yard field goal from Feely. However, the Seahawks gave a perfect response. At 09:05, Hauschka sent the ball through the uprights from 26-yards to reduce the deficit.
Later, an excellent move from the Seahawks levelled the score. At 07:47, Tarvaris Jackson threw the ball that travelled 61 yards where Ricardo Lockette held a breathtaking catch to take the score to 20-20.
At 5:59 in the overtime, Feely did the job for the Cardinals by scoring a 28-yard field goal.
The Seahawks finished the season with seven victories and nine defeats.
Tags: