azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Cards Beat Broncos
-Associated Press
Special teams kept Arizona in the game against the Denver Broncos until the Cardinals offense finally got going.
Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and Josh McCown and Shaun King combined to go 14-for-19, leading the Cardinals to a 33-21 victory over the Broncos in a preseason game Thursday night.
Rackers kicked field goals of 45, 47, 57 and 47 yards as Arizona's offense struggled against Denver's backups.
The Cardinals held Denver to three plays and a punt on the game's first series and Karl Williams followed with a 39-yard punt return to the Broncos' 31-yard line. That set up Rackers' 45-yarder.
Coby Rhinehart blocked Denver's next attempt at a punt, and Rackers followed with a 47-yard field goal.
Arizona's offense finally got going late in the second quarter, moving 77 yards in 12 plays. Josh Scobey capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown dive to make 13-0.
McCown was done after that drive, finishing 5-for-8 for 41 yards. He put a scare into the Cardinals, midway through the first quarter.
Just after completing a pass, McCown was hit just above the left hip by Denver safety Chris Young. Grimacing and struggling to catch his breath, McCown took a knee as the Cardinals' trainers ran onto the field.
He returned after one play and stayed in for one more series.
Denver lost tailback Mike Anderson to a torn groin in the closing seconds of a victory over Houston last week and kept most of its starters out of the game to prevent against more injuries.
It showed in the play of the Broncos.
Backup quarterback Danny Kanell seemed to take a step back after a solid start to the preseason, missing badly on several passes. He finished 2-for-8 for 24 yards and had a passer rating of 39.6 before being replaced by rookie Mike Mauck early in the second quarter.
Mauck struggled also. His first pass was well behind his intended receiver, and he later fumbled in the end zone after being sacked by Calvin Pace.
Ross Kolodziej fell on the loose ball for a touchdown, putting the Cardinals up 20-0 midway through the second quarter.
Rookie Tatum Bell, expected to be Quentin Griffin's backup at tailback, couldn't get much going in his first extended action of the preseason. He ran for 76 yards and a touchdown after missing three games with a broken hand.
The Cardinals took a 23-0 lead into halftime when Rackers converted a 57-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the period.
He booted a 47-yarder on Arizona's first possession of the second half.
Denver finally got on the board when Mauck drove the Broncos 84 yards on seven plays. He finished the drive with a 24-yard TD pass to Nate Jackson to cut the lead the 26-7.
Larry Croom scored for Arizona on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter, but Bell scored on a 5-yard run on the third play of the fourth quarter for the Broncos.
Bradley Van Pelt closed the scoring with a 14-yard TD run for the Broncos.
King finished 9-of-11 for 107 yards.
http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=2171
-Associated Press
Special teams kept Arizona in the game against the Denver Broncos until the Cardinals offense finally got going.
Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and Josh McCown and Shaun King combined to go 14-for-19, leading the Cardinals to a 33-21 victory over the Broncos in a preseason game Thursday night.
Rackers kicked field goals of 45, 47, 57 and 47 yards as Arizona's offense struggled against Denver's backups.
The Cardinals held Denver to three plays and a punt on the game's first series and Karl Williams followed with a 39-yard punt return to the Broncos' 31-yard line. That set up Rackers' 45-yarder.
Coby Rhinehart blocked Denver's next attempt at a punt, and Rackers followed with a 47-yard field goal.
Arizona's offense finally got going late in the second quarter, moving 77 yards in 12 plays. Josh Scobey capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown dive to make 13-0.
McCown was done after that drive, finishing 5-for-8 for 41 yards. He put a scare into the Cardinals, midway through the first quarter.
Just after completing a pass, McCown was hit just above the left hip by Denver safety Chris Young. Grimacing and struggling to catch his breath, McCown took a knee as the Cardinals' trainers ran onto the field.
He returned after one play and stayed in for one more series.
Denver lost tailback Mike Anderson to a torn groin in the closing seconds of a victory over Houston last week and kept most of its starters out of the game to prevent against more injuries.
It showed in the play of the Broncos.
Backup quarterback Danny Kanell seemed to take a step back after a solid start to the preseason, missing badly on several passes. He finished 2-for-8 for 24 yards and had a passer rating of 39.6 before being replaced by rookie Mike Mauck early in the second quarter.
Mauck struggled also. His first pass was well behind his intended receiver, and he later fumbled in the end zone after being sacked by Calvin Pace.
Ross Kolodziej fell on the loose ball for a touchdown, putting the Cardinals up 20-0 midway through the second quarter.
Rookie Tatum Bell, expected to be Quentin Griffin's backup at tailback, couldn't get much going in his first extended action of the preseason. He ran for 76 yards and a touchdown after missing three games with a broken hand.
The Cardinals took a 23-0 lead into halftime when Rackers converted a 57-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the period.
He booted a 47-yarder on Arizona's first possession of the second half.
Denver finally got on the board when Mauck drove the Broncos 84 yards on seven plays. He finished the drive with a 24-yard TD pass to Nate Jackson to cut the lead the 26-7.
Larry Croom scored for Arizona on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter, but Bell scored on a 5-yard run on the third play of the fourth quarter for the Broncos.
Bradley Van Pelt closed the scoring with a 14-yard TD run for the Broncos.
King finished 9-of-11 for 107 yards.
http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=2171
