Palmer Takes A Licking But The Cardinals Keep On Kicking
The San Francisco 49ers vs. The Arizona Cardinals
In a battle of the NFC foes, the Cardinals punched instead of kicked when it mattered most in overtime. The Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 18-15, in overtime at University of Phoenix Stadium. Quarterback Carson Palmer found Larry Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown that puts the Cardinals back at .500 with a 2-2 record.
The two teams combined for nine field goals and 23 penalties on the day but Arizona found pay dirt after San Francisco kicked a field goal to start overtime. Carson Palmer took hit after hit but sat in the pocket just long enough to find the future hall of fame receiver for six points.
The Beating
Carson Palmer continues to take a beating due to the poor play of the Cardinals offensive line. The veteran quarterback was sacked six times and hit 16 times on the day. I’m not sure how this can continue for the Cardinals.
Offense
If you had an affinity for field goals and penalty flags, by God was this the game for you. The two teams exchanged nine consecutive field goals all the way into overtime before the beautiful Palmer to Fitzgerald connection sent Cards fans home happy after enduring the field goal extravaganza. Carson Palmer finished the day 33 of 51 for 357 passing yards along with a touchdown and interception each.
The running game continues to be non-existent with the loss of David Johnson and the injuries to the offensive line, with 22 carries for a paltry 51 yards. Andre Ellington did have an impact catching the ball out of the backfield to the tune of 9 receptions for 86 yards, not including a catch he made in the end zone that everybody in University of Phoenix Stadium thought was a touchdown, minus the referees in the first half.
The Brown brothers, no relation, also made their presence felt at wide out with Jaron bringing in 8 balls for 105 yards while John Brown caught three for 47 yards, not including a near acrobatic touchdown in overtime. Larry Fitzgerald has tortured the 49ers throughout his entire career and though they kept him at bay the entire day, “Larry Legend” still found a way to come up big to put San Francisco out of their misery.
Defense
Not that the 49ers offense is a scoring machine but the Cardinals did a good enough job limiting Niner drives to just three points throughout the game. Antoine Beathea had a big interception in the game and Tyrann Mathieu added 12 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in the winning effort. The Cardinals would have liked to pressure 49er QB Brian Hoyer more but they did get to him three times for a sack but all in all, a winning performance.
Injuries
Markus Golden went out with a knee injury.
Larry Fitzgerald was shook up on his game-winning reception but appeared fine after the game.
Up Next
The Cardinals next take on the Eagles on Sunday, 10am PST, at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles will come in with a 3-1 record after squeaking by the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24.
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