Arizona Cardinals’ home history on Monday Night Football

Throughout their time in Arizona, the Cardinals have not exactly been regulars on Monday Night Football. Given Arizona’s less-than-successful history, it makes sense that they were rarely chosen to be featured in the league’s premier matchup.

However, things are starting to change for them, as their appearances on national television are coming with greater frequency than ever before. It doesn’t hurt that the Cardinals have turned into one of the league’s most watchable teams, but for the most part, they are getting more notoriety simply because they win.

Unfortunately, just not on Monday Night Football.

No, Arizona’s record in the most prime time of prime time games is a paltry 2-8 since moving to Arizona.

They have not been without their moments, though. And with the Cardinals getting set to host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, Oct. 26, it seemed like a good time to take a look at the Cardinals’ history in games played the day after Sunday in the Valley of the Sun.

 

Sept. 12, 1988 vs. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas 17, Arizona 14

 

 

The Cardinals’ first game in the Valley of the Suns was seen by a capacity crowd, who unfortunately saw their new team come up on the wrong side of a close game. Phoenix QB Neil Lomax completed 20-of-34 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns — one to running back Earl Ferrell and another to tight end Jay Novacek — while Ferrell also ran for 65 yards on 11 carries, but the Cardinals couldn’t stop Dallas running back Herschel Walker, who tore them up for 149 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries. Many Cardinals fans remember this game for the fake field goal that went awry. As the first half was about to close and the Cardinals trailing by three, the Cardinals sent kicker Al Del Greco out for what looked like it would be a 41-yard field goal attempt. However, head coach Gene Stallings called for a fake, which led to holder Cliff Stoudt tossing the ball to the kicker in hopes of catching the Cowboys off guard and allowing Del Grego to gallop into the end zone. He picked up eight yards, which left him just a bit short as the first half came to an end.

 

Dec. 25, 1995 vs. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas 37, Arizona 13

 

 

This one could have gone better for the Cardinals. It could have gone much, much better. Arizona entered the game with a 4-11 record, while the Cowboys were 11-4 and heading toward a Super Bowl championship. Mismatch, much? The Cowboys reeled off 24 points before the Cardinals got on the board with a second-quarter Greg Davis field goal. An Aeneas Williams pick-six along with another field goal from Davis made it a 24-13 game, bu the Cowbosy responded with the next 13 points to win this one pretty easily. It was such a disaster for Arizona, in fact, that head coach Buddy Ryan decided to check out of the game a little early, leaving the field before the clock struck 0:00. On the bright side, this game will always go down as a victory in Jerry Maguire land as well as be remembered for Larry’s leap.

 

Sept. 27, 1999 vs. San Francisco 49ers

 

San Francisco 24, Arizona 10

 

 

The Cardinals earned an NFC Wild Card berth the prior season and won a game in the playoffs, so there was no shortage of optimism heading into the season. The team was 1-1 after two games, with a close victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 that was followed by a narrow loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, both on the road. The Cards opened their home slate in prime time against division-rival San Francisco, with the game taking on a very unexpected tone when Aeneas Williams drilled 49ers QB Steve Young with just 28 seconds remaining in the first half. San Francisco was up 17-0 at the time and would go on to win 24-10, but they lost Young for the game, season and rest of his career. Arizona QB Jake Plummer threw for 176 yards and two interceptions, while Adrian Murrell ran for just 42 yards on 16 carries. The Cardinals’ lone touchdown came courtesy of a one-yard Mario Bates run in the third quarter.

 

Oct. 16, 2006 vs. Chicago Bears

 

Chicago 24, Arizona 23

 

 

There was a considerable gap in between Monday Night games for the Cardinals in large part because there was a sizeable gap in between times of competitiveness. However, they landed on national TV in 2006 because University of Phoenix Stadium was in its first year and the NFL wanted to show off its newest venue. No one could have predicted that 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, a rookie, would be leading the Cardinals, just as no one expected the Bears to enter the game a perfect 5-0 on the season. Things started off well enough, with the Cardinals turning a 14-0 first-quarter lead into a 20-0 halftime advantage, and even though the Bears made things closer heading into the fourth with a Mike Brown scoop-and-score, the Cards were still up 23-10 with Chicago showing little ability to move the ball offensively. Turns out, they didn’t have to. Cornerback Charles Tillman returned an Edgerrin James fumble 40 yards for a touchdown to make it a one-score game, and then Devin Hester took a punt back 83 yards for a touchdown with 2:58 left. The Cardinals had one last chance when Leinart drove them into field goal range with less than one minute left, but Neil Rackers’ attempt from 40 yards out was no good and the Bears escaped with a win. But at least the Bears are who we thought they were, even if the Cardinals let them off the hook.

 

Nov. 10, 2008 vs. San Francisco 49ers

 

Arizona 29, San Francisco 24

 

 

A close game between the Super Bowl-bound Cardinals and their division rivals made for some great TV. Of course, at the time no one pegged Arizona as a team destined for special things. They entered the game with a 5-3 record, and really couldn’t afford a loss to the 2-6 49ers if they had hopes of reaching the postseason. Yet, for a while, it seemed like that would happen. Allen Rossum returned the opening kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown, and though the teams traded scores, it was the visitors who carried a 21-13 lead into halftime. The Cardinals closed the gap to 21-20 early in the third quarter with a five-yard Larry Fitzgerald touchdown catch, and after a Joe Nedney extended San Francisco’s lead to 24-20, Rackers hit a field goal early in the fourth and then Kurt Warner found Anquan Boldin for a four-yard score. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and with less than five minutes remaining it was up to Arizona’s defense to hold onto a 29-24 lead. The teams traded possessions from there, and after Arizona’s offense was unable to ice the game following an Adrian Wilson interception with 2:34 left, the 49ers got one last crack with just more than a minute remaining. It wasn’t easy, as it took San Francisco just three plays to reach the Arizona one, and with 21 seconds remaining all seemed lost. However, the Cardinals stopped Frank Gore for a loss of one yard and then stoned Michael Robinson at the line of scrimmage as time expired, sealing the dramatic win.

 

Nov. 29, 2010 vs. San Francisco 49ers

 

San Francisco 27, Arizona 6

 

 

After playing a Monday Night road game against the 49ers the season before, the teams renewed their prime time hostilities in Arizona, though the Cardinals were really in a tough spot. Kurt Warner was no longer the quarterback, and in his place — for this game, anyway, was Derek Anderson. He completed 16-of-35 passes for 196 yards and one interception as the Cardinals racked up a measly 203 yards of offense the entire game. Their only points came courtesy of two Jay Feely field goals — one in the first quarter and another in the second. It was a miserable night for the home team, and a sideline scene would go on to lead to a post-game rant that was, for the Cardinals, not funny.

 

Oct. 29, 2012 vs. San Francisco 49ers

 

San Francsco 24, Arizona 3

 

 

Same teams, new year, same result. After taking a one-season break from MNF the Cardinals once again hosted the 49ers. The Cardinals were 4-3 heading into the game against a 5-2 49ers team, so it was supposed to be a matchup of playoff hopefuls. Instead, it was another blowout. San Francisco scored the game’s first 24 points, which would be more than enough to beat the John Skelton-led Cardinals. The QB completed 32-of-52 passes for 290 yards with one interception as Arizona gained just 265 yards of offense.

 

Sept. 8, 2014 vs. San Diego Chargers

 

Arizona 18, San Diego 17

 

 

After winning 10 games but missing out on the postseason the previous year, the Cardinals entered 2014 with excitement and expectations. Things were amped up even more with them opening the season at home on Monday Night Football, though the game was a little slow to really get going as the teams combined for just three field goals (two for Arizona, one for San Diego) through the first 30 minutes of action. However, the Chargers took a lead into the fourth quarter on a Malcolm Floyd touchdown catch and Ryan Mathews touchdown run, leaving the Cardinals in the precarious position of possibly dropping the home opener. But Arizona rallied behind a five-yard touchdown pass to Stepfan Taylor and then took the lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to John Brown. Down just one point, the Chargers drove as far as their own 40 before turning the football over on downs.

 

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