Game 1
Cardinals 23, 49ers 13
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Kurt Warner passed for 197 yards and led three monotonously effective drives in the second half. Anquan Boldin had all of his eight catches for 82 yards in the second half of the Cardinals’ third straight opener against the 49ers, who beat them twice last year to ruin their playoff hopes.
Arizona allowed none of the late-game hijinks that cost the Cards both meetings with San Francisco last year, grinding out 12 first downs while holding onto the ball for nearly 23 minutes in the second half.
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Game 2
Cardinals 31, Dolphins 10
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – The Cardinals are 2-0 for the first time in 17 years.
Kurt Warner completed 19 of 24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Anquan Boldin caught all three scores, a career high.
ped 100 yards in the same game.
Warner had a perfect 158.3 passer rating for the third time in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the NFL record.
Arizona’s Edgerrin James gained 55 yards on 18 carries to become the 14th player in NFL history to surpass 15,000 career yards from scrimmage.
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Game 3
Redskins 24, Cardinals 17
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – Carlos Rogers returned a tipped interception to Arizona’s 15-yard line. Two plays later, Santana Moss took a receiver screen for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Redskins victory.
Jason Campbell completed 23 of 31 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this season, and the Redskins’ no-turnover day kept Warner and the Cardinals in poor field position throughout the game.
The Cardinals (2-1) had been looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 1974. But they committed their first turnovers of the season and ended a 10-game streak in which they scored 20 or more points.
Warner completed 16 of 30 passes for 192 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Larry Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 109 yards and one touchdown.
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Game 4
Jets 56, Cardinals 35
r of a 56-35 victory Sunday.
Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin was carted off the field after a scary helmet-to-helmet collision with Eric Smith in the end zone with 27 seconds remaining.
New York’s defense forced three fumbles and two interceptions in the first half and the Jets set a franchise record by scoring 34 points in the second quarter.
Warner tried to bring the Cardinals (2-2) back in the second half as Arizona scored 35 points. Warner, 40-of-57 for 472 yards, threw a 14-yard TD pass to Jerheme Urban with 4:49 left, but lost the ball again on a fumble with less than 3 minutes left.
Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald had eight catches in his 64th career game, making him the third-fastest to 350.
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Game 5
Cardinals 41, Bills 17
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Buffalo’s second-year quarterback Trent Edwards, a major reason Buffalo was one of three unbeaten teams entering the day, went down with a concussion on a fierce hit from safety Adrian Wilson on the third play of the game. It was the Bills’ defense that collapsed after that.
Rookie Tim Hightower had a pair of touchdown runs and Kurt Warner threw to Larry Fitzgerald twice for scores. Warner, who committed six of Arizona’s seven turnovers in last week’s loss at the Jets, bounced back to go 33-of-42 for 250 yards with no interceptions. The Cardinals (3-2) are 3-0 at home.
in (head injury), Arizona amassed 373 yards against what had been one of the stingier defenses in the league. Buffalo’s offense contributed, too, fumbling three times in Bills territory, resulting in 17 Arizona points.
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Game 6
Cardinals 30, Cowboys 24, OT
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Sean Morey blocked Mat McBriar’s punt and Monty Beisel scooped up the ball and scored from 3 yards. Morey rushed untouched off the left side of the Dallas line to block the kick. Beisel, a backup linebacker, picked up the ball and bowled over the goal line.
The stunning play by two of Arizona’s most unheralded players brought a conclusion to a game loaded with confusion, controversy and clutch performances.
Dallas scored 10 points in the final 2 minutes of regulation, sending the game into overtime when Nick Folk’s 52-yard field goal barely cleared the crossbar as the fourth quarter ended.
Folk was in field-goal range only because a 5-yard offside penalty was called against injured Arizona linebacker Travis LaBoy as he tried to limp off the field.
That was just one of the weird moments in Arizona’s sixth consecutive home victory.
Arizona scored 17 consecutive points, including a pair of touchdown passes by Kurt Warner, to go up 24-14 on Neil Rackers’ 40-yard field goal with 3:17 left.
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Game 7
Panthers 27, Cardinals 23
put up the better numbers, but Jake Delhomme engineered the comeback that kept the Panthers unbeaten at home and atop the NFC South. Delhomme threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 65-yard strike to Steve Smith.
The Panthers (6-2, 5-0 at home) rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit despite Warner’s big day. Warner threw for 381 yards – by far the most given up by Carolina this season – and two touchdowns to Anquan Boldin. But the Cardinals (4-3) continued their road woes in part thanks to a botched fake field goal and a missed extra point.
Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald had seven catches for 115 yards.
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Game 8
Cardinals 34, Rams 13
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Kurt Warner and the Cardinals used a 24-point second quarter to win another one in their former home city.
Arizona was in total command after scoring 10 points on turnovers and adding a pair of long scoring plays on touchdowns by Tim Hightower and Jerheme Urban in a 34-13 victory. Warner held it all together with his 45th 300-yard passing game, throwing for two touchdowns to beat the team he led to two Super Bowls from 1999-2001.
Arizona (5-3) ran off 31 straight points to win for only the second time in five road games and solidify its NFC West lead.
ntouched on a 30-yard touchdown run after Fakhir Brown missed a tackle at the line.
Warner was 22-for-33 for 343 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in only his second start in St. Louis since the Rams released him in 2004.
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Game 9
Cardinals 29, 49ers 24
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – The Arizona Cardinals accomplished something they hadn’t done since the team moved to the desert 20 years ago. They won on Monday night.
Kurt Warner’s ageless arm and an improbable goal-line stand at the finish saved the Cardinals from an ugly loss on a national stage.
The Cardinals stopped Michael Robinson up the middle from the 2-yard line as the game ended to preserve a 29-24 victory over San Francisco.
Warner finished 32-of-42 for 328 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in Arizona’s sixth consecutive home victory, fourth this season.
The NFC West-leading Cardinals (6-3) never led until Karlos Dansby’s 34-yard interception return set up Warner’s 5-yard TD pass to Anquan Boldin with 4:16 to play.
San Francisco had two chances after that.
The first ended on Adrian Wilson’s diving interception of Shaun Hill’s pass.
Hill’s 14-yard pass to Jason Hill moved it to the Arizona 1. With the last few seconds ticking off, Gore was pushed by a defensive player as he ran around left end, then stumbled to the ground just outside the 2.
reviewed the play to make sure Gore was down by contact, the 49ers handed off to the fullback Robinson, who was stuffed nowhere near the goal line.
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Game 10
Cardinals 26, Seahawks 20
SEATTLE (AP) – Kurt Warner completed 32 of 44 passes for 395 yards – his franchise-record fourth straight 300-yard game – and J.J. Arrington scored a career-high two touchdowns. The 37-year-old veteran completed 19 of his first 21 passes, while Anquan Boldin, who had 13 catches for a career-best 186 yards, and Larry Fitzgerald – 10 receptions, 151 yards – roamed free all day in Arizona’s first win at Seattle since 2002.
The Cardinals are 7-3 for the first time since 1977, when they were in St. Louis.
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Game 11
Giants 37, Cardinals 29
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns in his return to the scene of his Super Bowl MVP performance and the Giants beat Arizona to snap the Cardinals’ seven-game home winning streak.
With starting running back Brandon Jacobs out with a knee injury, the Giants took to the air to win their sixth in a row. Manning completed 26 of 33 for 240 yards with no interceptions.
Kurt Warner was 32-for-52 for 351 yards and a touchdown for Arizona (7-4). He was intercepted once and fumbled once, both leading to Giants touchdowns.
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Game 12
Eagles 48, Cardinals 20
an McNabb threw four touchdown passes, Brian Westbrook tied a team record with four scores and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Arizona Cardinals 48-20.
Just four days earlier, McNabb was benched for the first time in his career at halftime of a 36-7 loss at Baltimore. The Eagles only trailed 10-7 when coach Andy Reid decided to put Kolb in after McNabb threw five interceptions and lost two fumbles in his previous seven quarters.
But Reid gave McNabb another chance and the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback responded with his best game since Week 1. He completed 27 of 39 passes for 260 yards and a passer rating of 121.7. Kolb ran out the clock while McNabb celebrated the win on the sideline.
Westbrook, playing with a sore ankle and knee, had 110 yards rushing and 20 more receiving. He had two TDs on the ground and two receiving.
Kurt Warner had 235 yards passing, three TDs and three interceptions.
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Game 13
Cardinals 34, Rams 10
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – The Cardinals have gone from chumps to champs in the NFC West.
Kurt Warner threw for 279 yards, the defense scored twice and the Cardinals clinched their first division title in 33 years by beating the woeful Rams.
in 1975. As NFC West champions, they will host a playoff game for the first time since, as the Chicago Cardinals, they defeated Philadelphia to win the NFL title in 1947.
Arizona’s defense scored both of the team’s second-half touchdowns, including a team record-tying 99-yard interception return by rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with 3:11 to play.
Arizona (8-5) beat St. Louis for the fifth straight time.
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Game 14
Vikings 35, Cardinals 14
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Tarvaris Jackson got another shot at starting quarterback, and made the most of it. Playing in place of injured Gus Frerotte, Jackson threw for four touchdowns and the Vikings stayed alone atop the NFC North.
Adrian Peterson rushed for 165 yards on 28 carries, his franchise record ninth 100-yard game of the season for the Vikings (9-5), who won their fourth in a row.
Arizona (8-6) fell flat a week after clinching its first division title in 33 years, losing at home for the second time this season in the team’s most one-sided defeat there in Ken Whisenhunt’s two seasons as coach.
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Game 15
Patriots 47, Cardinals 7
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – New England crushed Arizona with a blizzard of points on a snow-covered field.
as he threw for just 30 yards.
The Cardinals’ defense was as miserable as the weather, allowing the Patriots to score on nine of their 10 possessions before Matt Cassel got the rest of the game off.
New England held a huge margin of 514 to 186 yards. Cassel completed 20 of 36 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns.
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Game 16
Cardinals 34, Seahawks 21
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald sent the Cardinals into the playoffs as winners. Warner threw four touchdown passes, his most in seven years, then sat out the fourth quarter as the Cardinals spoiled the final game of Mike Holmgren’s decade as Seahawks coach.
Two of Warner’s TDs went to Fitzgerald, who caught five passes for 130 yards.
The Cardinals (9-7), blown out twice since clinching the NFC West title, finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time in a decade and only the second time since 1984.
Fitzgerald, in a spectacular performance with teammate Anquan Boldin out with a shoulder injury, had touchdown catches of 5 and 38 yards and caught a 50-yarder to set up another score.
Steve Breaston caught five passes for 91 yards, the last a 7-yarder in the waning seconds, to join Fitzgerald and Boldin as 1,000-yard receivers. It marks the fifth time in NFL history three teammates passed the 1,000-yard mark.
Arizona finished 6-0 against NFC West foes.
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Wild-Card Playoffs
Cardinals 30, Falcons 24
GLENDALE, Arizona (AP) – The Arizona Cardinals beat Atlanta 30-24 before a raucous, white towel-waving crowd in their first NFL home playoff game in 61 years.
Arizona’s Kurt Warner, in the playoffs for the first time since leading St. Louis to a second Super Bowl in the 2001 season, opened with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and connected with Anquan Boldin on a 71-yard scoring play.
Meanwhile, Falcons rookie Matt Ryan was intercepted twice, tackled in the end zone for a safety and fumbled the ball away on a botched handoff. The fumble was returned 26 yards by Antrel Rolle 52 seconds into the second half to put Arizona ahead for good.
The Cardinals’ Edgerrin James outgained Atlanta’s Michael Turner, the NFL’s No. 2 rusher. James carried 16 times for 73 yards. Turner, who rushed for 1,699 yards in the regular season, had 42 yards in 18 attempts.
Warner was 19-of-32, 13-for-17 in the second half, for 271 yards. He was intercepted once.
The Cardinals’ 30 points were their most in the playoffs, breaking a record set by the then-Chicago Cardinals in the NFL championship victory over Philadelphia in 1947. That was the franchise’s last home playoff game before today. It was their first win in the playoffs since 1998.
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Divisional Playoffs
Cardinals 33, Panthers 13
AP) – The Arizona Cardinals were considered the softest team in the playoffs, unable to win far from home and carrying the scars of years of ineptitude. But behind their cagey quarterback, dynamic receiver, improved defense – and a big assist from Jake Delhomme’s horrible night – the Cardinals advanced to the NFC championship game.
Kurt Warner threw two touchdown passes, Larry Fitzgerald had 166 yards receiving and the Cardinals pounced on Delhomme’s six turnovers in a 33-13 win over the bumbling Panthers.
The Cardinals became the last NFC team to reach the conference championship since the 1970 merger. Entering as a 10-point underdog and ridiculed for their 0-5 record in the Eastern time zone this season, Arizona (11-7) raced to a 27-7 halftime lead and cruised past the mistake-prone Panthers (12-5), who were the league’s only unbeaten team at home in the regular season.
Delhomme became the first player to have five picks in the playoffs since Oakland’s Rich Gannon in the 2003 Super Bowl against Tampa Bay. He completed only 17 of 34 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown. His woes made Steve Smith a non-factor.
While Delhomme’s struggles paralyzed the Carolina’s offense, the Cardinals stopped the Panthers’ potent running game, holding DeAngelo Williams to 63 yards.
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NFC Championship
Cardinals 32, Eagles 25
r Bowl appearance. The Cardinals, founding members of the NFL, but historically among the most dysfunctional of franchises, capitalized on Larry Fitzgerald’s three first-half touchdown receptions, then coolly marching downfield to Kurt Warner’s 8-yard scoring pass to rookie Tim Hightower with 2:53 left on their way to a 32-25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Cardinals, the first No. 4 seed to host a conference championship game, were supposed to be thunderstruck by their surroundings, but responded like playoff veterans.
After blowing a 24-6 halftime lead, the 37-year-old Warner engineered a precise, 72-yard drive to win it with his fourth TD pass of the day.
He finished the comeback with the 8-yard pass to Hightower, then hit Ben Patrick for the 2-point conversion.
The key was the unstoppable Fitzgerald, who had nine receptions for 152 yards, including two big catches on the decisive drive. The All-Pro set a single postseason record with 419 yards receiving, surpassing the great Jerry Rice. And Fitzgerald has one more game to go – in the Super Bowl.
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