Fitzgerald hauls in game-winning OT catch as Cardinals beat 49ers
When the Arizona Cardinals needed a play against the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, they called Larry Fitzgerald's number.
#AZCardinals game winning drive in overtime and only touchdown of the game. Larry Fitzgerald🏈🖐🖑 TD #BeRedSeeRed #BirdGang #SFvsAZ #AZvsSF pic.twitter.com/qyHGoJPWzP
— 🚨 Ronnie Laybold 🐾 (@YotesHereToStay) October 1, 2017
In the complex game of football, overthinking happens.
Sometimes, it’s just best to go with what’s worked. When the Arizona Cardinals so desperately needed a play for their offense that failed to produce anything other than four field goals through regulation and most of overtime, they called Larry Fitzgerald’s number.
Carson Palmer threw a 19-yard touchdown pass on 2nd-and-2 to Fitzgerald with 37 seconds left in overtime, and Arizona held off a now 0-4 San Francisco 49ers team, 18-15.
Fitzgerald finished with four catches for 32 yards, giving the Cardinals the edge in a game dominated by the defense, and as a result, by the two kickers.
Arizona’s Phil Dawson finished 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts as San Francisco’s Robbie Gould hit all four of his own attempts in regulation. Gould would knock in a field goal to put the 49ers ahead 15-12 with just more than two minutes left in overtime to cap a 17-play drive that lasted 7:36.
But Palmer and the Cardinals went 75 yards on seven plays covering 1:52 to follow, setting up Fitzgerald’s leaping grab to seal the Arizona win.
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Comments
29 Comments
Can we've agree, Carson Palmer is one tuff SOB
No doubt the Offensive-Line is the biggest problem this team has right now but I think its going to get better going forward with some guys getting healthy & a few weeks here and there.
With über athletic 6"5/320pd LT DJ Humphries back healthy this Sunday he is a big upgrade on the left side & a mauler in the run game. 6"7/328pd John Wetzel will start at LG where he has excelled before. Wetzel is a solid pass protector but an excellent run blocker who easily blows guys off the ball. 6"2 A.Q Shipley is a solid above-ave Center. Next week big 6"8/325pd OG Alex Boone is a beast and will replace Boehm, who needs more time to develop. Boone on the other hand is an Excellent RG who excels as a high level pass protector and a good run blocker. Boone is a big upgrade on the right side who will shore up the pass-protection on the right side, he won't get Palmer hit every other play and can also help Veldheer. 6"8/330pd Jared Veldheer is improving and is getting better on the right side, overall he played solid last night.
I am not saying they are going to become an Elite top 3-5 O-Line or n e thing but I do think that ARI will have a tremendously improved average pretty solid O-Line with Humphries/Wetzel/Shipley/Boone/Veldheer, those 5 will be able to blow linemen off the ball with ease in the run game as well as each of those 5 are above average to great run blockers esp off that left side. Hopefully Boone can go Sunday because those 5 will make for a solid offensive line.
Normally I would love to harp on this team for all their short comings but they played hard for this win. And usually I'd love to crap on Palmer for being the old QB I wish we could move on from but he showed extreme toughness today. Every snap he knew he was going to get killed but he hung in there and marched the offense down the field for the game winning TD. I know this team isn't very good but they got my respect today for persevering against a divison rival.