Tag Archives: Arizona Cardinals

1997 Game 235 (Week 17) Atlanta at Arizona

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Falcons finish at .500 with win in the desert

The Atlanta Falcons showed promise for their future with the way they ended their 1997 season. The Falcons won their last three games to finish 8-8 on the season including a 34-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium on Sunday.

QB Chris Chandler had his third straight outstanding game. On Sunday, he threw for 279 yards on 18 of 24 passing with three touchdowns. He finished with a 135.2 QB rating on the day. For the season, Chandler threw for 3,838 yards and 26 touchdowns. He only threw eight interceptions all season and ended with a 94.6 QB rating.

RB Jamal Anderson finished Sunday’s game against the Cards with 103 yards on the ground. In fact, the Falcons rushed for 176 yards as a team. On the season, Anderson rushed for 1,173 yards and six touchdowns.

The Falcons wide receivers had a heck of a year too. Bert Emanuel caught 102 passes for 1,584 yards and nine touchdowns, while Terrance Mathis had 86 receptions for 1,241 yards and 11 TDs.

As for the Cardinals, they finished with a 2-14 record, but have some promising rising stars. QB Jake Plummer threw for 322 yards on Sunday with 3 TDs. WR Rob Moore caught another 7 passes for 109 yards. Moore finished the season with 107 receptions for 1,674 yards and 12 TDs. WR Frank Sanders caught 74 passes for 957 yards and 10 TDs.

1997 Game 235 Stats

(I actually attended this game as I was visiting my sister and her family for Christmas in Phoenix that year)

1997 Game 220 (Week 16) Arizona at New Orleans

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Saints march into the playoffs!

The preseason prognosticators didn’t give the New Orleans Saints much chance of having a successful 1997 season let alone getting into the playoffs. Good thing head coach Mike Ditka doesn’t listen to the media because the New Orleans Saints punched their ticket to the postseason with a 47-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at the Superdome.

The Saints had their best offensive day of the season on Sunday. They racked up 488 total yards on the day and scored 47 points. It is the third highest scoring output in Saint history. They scored 51 points in 1969 and 1976.

The Saints QB Billy Jo Hobert threw for 259 yards on 19 of 30 passing. He also threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Saints also gained 229 yards on the ground. RB Ray Zellars rushed for 116 yards on 20 carries. Troy Davis rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Mario Bates rushed for 70 yards on 18 carries.

The Cardinals’ QB Jake Plummer had a horrible first half. He was five of 11 passing for 42 yards with five first-half interceptions. Jeff Graham replaced Plummer after halftime. He threw for 146 yards on 13 of 20 passing with a touchdown.

Now that the Saints have secured a playoff spot, they are eyeing the NFC West Championship. They are now 10-5 and will play at Kansas City next weekend. In order to win the West, the Saints need to win their last game and need the 49ers to lose Monday Night against Denver and at Seattle in two weeks.

As for the Cardinals, they are now 2-13 and will finish their season at home against Atlanta.

1997 Game 220 Stats

1997 Game 208 (Week 15) Washington at Arizona

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Redskins hold on to division lead!

The New York Giants won earlier in the day, so the Washington Redskins had to win at Arizona in order to stay in 1st place in the NFC East. With a huge day from backup running back Stephen Davis, the Redskins held on to win 20-14 to secure the lead at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

Usually, Terry Allen is the workhorse back for the Redskins, but he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Today, it was Davis who carried the ball 30 times for 171 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the Redskins rushed for 227 yards against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league.

After Scott Blanton drilled a 22-yd kick with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, the Redskins led 20-14. That left enough time for Cardinal QB Jake “The Snake” Plummer, who led the Cardinals down into Redskin territory with just a few seconds left. On the last play, Plummer threw a bomb up to Rob Moore, who caught it, but was stopped short at the six-yard line! The Redskins held on to win.

The Redskins’ QB Gus Frerotte was out of this game as well and for the rest of the season as he broke his hip. The old veteran Jeff Hostetler filled in and he struggled most of the day. He finished 16 of 36 for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Redskins (9-5) and the Giants will have a huge clash on Saturday as they face each other in Giants Stadium with the NFC East hanging in the balance. If the Redskins win, they win the division. If the Giants win, the two teams will be tied and it will come down to tie breakers, which the Giants would have as they would have a better division record.

As for the Cardinals, they are now 2-12 on the season and will travel to Superdome to try and spoil the Saints’ chances at making the playoffs.

(APBA rules cost the Cardinals’ bomb to Moore at the end. On the final play, I actually rolled a “66” which was a “2” on Plummer’s card and that would have been a touchdown on a Hail Mary! HOWEVER, the Redskins were D alignment and were keying on Moore, so the automatic TD went down 2 to a 4, which turned out to be a 36-yard gain and short of the goal line! The double coverage saved the Redskins and a possible Division Title!)

1997 Game 208 Stats

1997 Game 192 (Week 14) Pittsburgh at Arizona

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Defense keeps Steelers in pace with the Bengals

Earlier in the day, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, so the Pittsburgh Steelers had to beat the Arizona Cardinals in the desert to keep pace with the division-leading Bengals. The Steelers did thanks in part to their defense as they are now 9-4 with a 28-20 victory.

The Steelers have lived on two things all season long…big plays from QB Kordell Stewart and a dominating defense. They got both on this Sunday.

The first big play came with the Steelers trailing 3-0 in the game. Stewart scrambled right and threw a bomb deep into the Cardinal endzone. WR Courtney Hawkins ran under the pass for a 41-yard TD reception giving the Steelers a 7-3 lead in the 1st quarter.

The second big play came when the Steelers were trailing 10-7 in the second quarter. Stewart avoided a sack from DT Eric Swann and scrambled through the Arizona defense for a 49-yard touchdown run giving the Steelers a 14-10 lead at halftime.

The third big play came when the Steelers were in trouble as they were trailing 20-14 midway through the fourth quarter. After the defense forced a Cardinal punt, Stewart threw another bomb! This time WR Yancy Thigpen ran under this one and raced 82 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 21-20 lead!

The final big play came from the Steelers’ defense. After the Thigpen TD, the Cardinals took over and was forced with a third-down play. QB Jake Plummers’ pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage, and it was picked off by cornerback Donnell Woolford, who returned the pick 16-yards for a touchdown. The Steelers won the game 28-20.

With the victory, the Steelers are tied with the Bengals for the AFC Central lead, but the Bengals hold the tiebreaker because the Bengals swept the Steelers in their head-to-head meetings. The Steeles have a huge game next week as they host the Denver Broncos. The Cardinals are now 2-11 and will face the Redskins at home in a huge game for the Skins.

1997 Game 192 Stats

1997 Game 166 (Week 13) Arizona at Baltimore

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Cardinals take down the Ravens

Cardinal rookie QB Jake “The Snake” Plummer shined in Arizona’s 30-12 rout of the Baltimore Ravens. Plummer, with the help of a running game, threw for 202 yards on 20 of 28 passing with 3 TDs as the Cardinals won their second game of the season.

The Cardinals had their best rushing output in the game of the season on Sunday. The Cardinals rushed for 180 total yards and got 107 from newly acquired running back Ron Moore. They also got 44 yards from fullback Larry Centers.

WR Rob Moore continued to have his best season of his career. He caught four passes for only 38 yards but caught 2 TD passes. On the season, Moore has 84 receptions for 1,220 yards and ten TDs.

The Ravens couldn’t get anything done offensively on Sunday. They managed a mere 129 total yards. Vinny Testaverde was atrocious. He threw for 122 yards on 14 of 29 passing with 2 interceptions.

The only Raven touchdown came on a punt return from Jermaine Lewis. Lewis is one of the top returners in the game. He has now returned two punts for TDs.

The Cardinals (2-10) have a stiff test at home next Sunday when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the 4-8 Ravens travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.

1997 Game 166 Stats

1997 Game 151 (Week 12) Arizona at NY Giants

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Giants D shuts down the Cardinals

The Giants defense arose the occasion Sunday afternoon when the G-Men defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 16-8, at Giants’ Stadium.

The Giants, thick in the NFC East Division race, held the Cardinals to just 154 total yards. The Giants’ defense sacked Cardinal QB Jake Plummer six times and picked him off once. The second one was a pick-six by CB Philipe Sparks, who returned the pick 18-yards for the TD to give the Giants a 16-0 lead.

The first score of the game came from the Giants’ defense too. Jesse Armstead stuck RB Ron Moore in the end zone for a safety to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. In fact, the Giants’ defense was like a block of granite against the Cardinals’ run game. They held the Cardinals to just 70 yards on the ground.

The only offensive Giants’ touchdown came when QB Danny Kannell hit RB Tiki Barber on a short pass, and he raced 55-yards for a TD. On the day, Kannell threw for just 168 yards on 13 of 24 passing but he didn’t turn the ball over.

The Giants focused in on and double-covered Pro Bowl Cardinal WR Rob Moore, who was held to 4 catches for just 20 yards. Moore came in as the leading receiver in the NFC in catches.

The Giants will have a huge showdown next week against the Washington Redskins on the road on Sunday Night Football. The winner will take control of the NFC East division. As for the Cardinals, they will try to salvage their 1-10 season and will travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.

1997 Game 151 Stats