Late comeback gives Arizona Cardinals 20-17 victory over Cleveland Browns – NFL Week 15 Recap
A late comeback from Arizona Cardinals first helped them forcing the game to overtime and later got them a victory as Cleveland Browns surrendered their early lead to get a defeat 20-17 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the
week-15 game of the National Football League current season.
The Cardinals have won six of their last seven games. At the moment, they are on a four-game winning streak and placed at second spot in the National Football Conference West division.
To get a victory against the Browns, the Cardinals needed some drama at the end. After an early slump, they came back sharply to let the visitors in awe at the end of the game.
The Browns dominated the host at the start of the game. In the first quarter, Peyton Hillis scored a touchdown after rushing for one yard.
The lead was extended to 10-0 in the second quarter when Phil Dawson scored a 44-yard field goal. With just 19 seconds left in the quarter, Cardinals’ quarterback John Skelton sent a nine-yard touchdown-pass to Andre Roberts to
reduce the deficit 10-7.
The third quarter belonged completely to the Browns. The only scoring move came when Seneca Wallace sent a 76-yard pass to Greg Little and increased the lead to 17-7.
The Cardinals had a good start to the fourth quarter. They made some plays and finally got a scoring move. At 8:33, Beanie Wells managed a one-yard run to take the Cardinals score to 14. The Browns, still in-charge, could not prevent
Jay Feely from scoring a 33-yard field goal that proved to be the equaliser. The teams entered the overtime 17-17.
The Cardinals build upon the momentum gained in the fourth quarter. Patrick Peterson rushed for 32 yards allowing quarterback John Skelton to make a play. The quarterback found Larry Fitzgerald from 32 yards to set up Jay Feely.
The kicker made no mistake in sending the ball through uprights from 22 yards to get his team the victory.
Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt was not impressed by the team’s performance during the first half, but praised his players for the comeback.
"It wasn't pretty, but we had so many different guys make plays throughout the course of the game, especially in the second half," he said. "The way our team fights back is really something special. What I told them is their will
to win is pretty strong."
The Browns did make some good plays, but could not finish the game well. Quarterback Seneca Wallace, who replaced injured Colt McCoy, was impressive and is now expected to make a few more starts for his team.
When Browns’ coach Pat Shurmur was asked who would start the next game for his team, he refrained from giving any answer saying that it was too early to decide.
"The decision is made when you've got both guys healthy. I don't know what the situation is yet. We will see. In the event that Colt can't play next week, then, of course, we will stick with Seneca. In the event that he can play,
then we will cross that bridge when we need to."
The Cardinals are still in the playoffs hunt through a wildcard. They will face Cincinnati Bengals in week 16.
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