New York Jets grind through 7-6 victory over Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 – NFL Recap
New York Jets got an exciting 7-6 win over dismal Arizona Cardinals, thanks to their super sub, backup quarterback Greg McElroy who scored the winning touchdown in Week 13 tie on Sunday, December 02, 2012, at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Cardinals failed to capitalise on given opportunities as the team failed to score a touchdown during the entire game. It was the team’s eighth defeat in a row.
Jets were heading to another miserable loss at the end of the third quarter and head coach Rex Ryan needed a spark that could lift the team.
The coach finally made the decision to bench starting quarterback Mark Sanchez after another woeful performance. In came the third-tier quarterback McElroy as Tim Tebow was unavailable for the game.
At that moment, things started to go into Jets’ favour as McElroy got his first drive in the league which led to his first touchdown pass of the career. According to the Associated Press, McElroy said:
"It's tough to kind of gauge the energy. Obviously, I didn't have, like, a decibel meter where I could tell what the crowd noise was, but I was excited about getting a shot to get in there."
The crowd at MetLife Stadium went jubilant as McElroy replaced Sanchez and then went head over heal with the touchdown.
McElroy finished the game completing five of seven passes for 29 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Sanchez ended up with 10 of 21 for a mere 97 yards and threw as many as three interceptions.
Ryan indicated after the game that the starting quarterback position is all open for next week. Jets must win their remaining four games to qualify for the playoffs as they currently stand with a 5-7 record.
Cardinals (4-8) dearly missed their quarterback Kevin Kolb who missed sixth straight game. Backup quarterback Ryan Lindley again looked incapable enough to take the responsibilities as a starting quarterback as he struggled through the game against tough
Jets defence.
Lindley completed a mere 10 out of 31 passes for just 72 yards and also threw away an interception. Giving his views about the quarterback situation, Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said:
"This whole streak we've been in isn't any fun. You work hard as a team, you prepare. I don't see any finger-pointing or fracturing. We've got a good group of players and a good group of young leaders. Make no mistake: they want to win."
Both teams got off to a slow start as the first quarter remained scoreless. The second quarter saw some activity as Cardinals opened the score with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Jay Feely to finish the first half 3-0.
The game saw light at the end of the tunnel as McElroy scored a touchdown to give Jets a 7-3 lead.
Cardinals reduced the lead to just one point with another field goal, but were unable to get the winning point as Jets won the game by 7-6.
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