Notes from the Nest: Cardinals vs. Bills
Oct 14, 2012, 6:57 PM | Updated: Oct 15, 2012, 1:38 am
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Game over
Lindell is good from 25 yards out and the Cardinals lose 19-16 in OT. What a game.
11:55 left in OT
Facing a 3rd and 10 Skelton fires a pass to Doucet. Bad ball, interception. Bills in great shape now as the return was to the Arizona six.
Bills move the ball but stall at the Arizona 35, and Buffalo elects to punt. A false start pushes them back, then the punt bounces into the end zone. Skelton and the Cardinals take over at their own 20 needing just a field goal to win. Does Skelton have some of that magic in him? There are a lot of people in this building hoping he does.
Start of OT
Bills win the toss and elect to receive. Rules say if they score a FG, Cards get the ball. If they score a TD, game is over. Buffalo begins at its own 20.
End of fourth quarter
And…Feely…misses.
We head to OT and don’t even feel good about it.
:03 left in fourth quarter
Skelton to Fitz for a big gain and now Arizona has it at the Buffalo 20. Feely on for the win.
:50 left in fourth quarter
In an effort to keep the ball away from Patrick Peterson the Bills punt it out of bounds. At the Cardinals 47. Could this be happening?
1:09 left in fourth quarter
It’s a touchback on the kickoff and the Bills start at their 20. They have two timeouts to try and get in FG range.
1:09 left in fourth quarter
And…he…makes…it!!!!
We’re all tied up here and Jay Feely is some kind of diety at this moment. 1:09 left to go, though, meaning this game isn’t in OT yet.
It’s the longest field goal in franchise history. Shocker.
1:14 left in fourth quarter
Cards pick up a first on fourth down but then stall, and Feely is on to attempt a 61-yard FG. Yes, really.
1:58 left in fourth quarter
Skelton comes in and his first play is one where he’s being sacked but barely gets off an incomplete pass. It’s 3rd and 11 at the two minute warning.
2:05 left in fourth quarter
Broken play leads to Kolb being sacked, and now the QB is on the ground hurt. John Skelton — active for the first time in a while — is warming up and appears to be heading in.
Irony? Poetic? I don’t know, but whatever this is it’s Cardinals football.
3:07 left in fourth quarter
Bills go with the Wildcat and Brad Smith is picked off by Patrick Peterson in the end zone. He returns it to the 15 — couldn’t take it all the way back — and the Cardinals have new life.
5:41 left in fourth quarter
Bills pick up 12 on a screen to Jackson and are in good position to if not put this one away, make things real difficult for the Cardinals. Kerry Rhodes is down after being blocked from behind.
5:54 left in fourth quarter
Cards get a couple first downs before Kolb is picked off looking for Jeff King. Throw was late and to the wrong guy. Bills have the ball at their own 41 and are in real good shape here with a first down or two.
Horrible, horrible mistake.
7:15 left in fourth quarter
Bills get a first down and take some time off the clock, but a personal foul penalty pushes them back too far and they are ultimately forced to punt. Down just three, does this team have at least one more drive in them? Still have time and three timeouts so this isn’t exactly “the drive”, but you really don’t want to give the ball back here without having put points on the board.
11:24 left in fourth quarter
Cardinals move the ball, first forwards and then backwards. Reagan Maui’a gets chewed out by Coach Whiz after committing a penalty that cost Arizona a first down, and Arizona punts it away. Ball is downed at the Buffalo three and if the Cardinals are going to win this game something has to happen here.
End of third quarter
Kolb picks up 18 on a run and we head into the fourth with Arizona trailing 16-13. This game has moved along quickly, which means we’re likely destined for overtime.
Anyway, as the Cardinals have it at their 34 it should be noted how important this drive is. Don’t want to be trailing here in the fourth, especially after the Bills just put up a very impressive drive. Need points here, preferably seven of them.
:27 left in third quarter
The answer is an emphatic “no.”
Bills march down the field rather easily — too easily — and retake the lead on a 1-yard TD run from Fred Jackson.
16-13 Bills, meaning the Cardinals will have to score at least one more time to win the game. That’s a tall order for this group.
3:12 left in third quarter
Kickoff is a touchback and the Bills will start at their 20. Does the defense have another stop in them? How about a turnover?
3:12 left in third quarter
Cards get a solid drive, including a failed flea-flicker and some decent runs. However, it stalls and Arizona is forced to settle for a Feely field goal. He’s good from 49 and the Cards are up 13-9.
9:30 left in third quarter
Bills get a first but then the defense steps up, forcing a punt that Peterson returns to the 26.
The defense, for all intents and purposes, has held up its end of the bargain today. The offense, for all intents and purposes, has done what people come to expect of it. That has to change.
12:52 left in third quarter
Cardinals come out of the half and go three-and-out, punting the ball away. Block in the back pushes Buffalo closer to their end zone, and they’ll begin the drive at their own 10.
Halftime
First half ends with a sack and the teams head into the locker room with the score 10-9 in favor of Arizona.
Interesting half in which the Cardinals looked both very good and very awful. They get the ball to start the second half and could use a scoring drive. Don’t want to let the Bills stay in this one.
:54 left in second quarter
Well, at least the fake punt was cool. Drive stalls there and Cardinals punt it away. Buffalo takes over at its own 20, but with no timeouts left it’s tough to see them doing anything but sit on the ball.
And what do I know, they come out throwing.
1:33 left in second quarter
Cardinals fake the punt and Rashad Johnson takes the ball into Buffalo territory. What a gutsy call.
Cool.
2:00 left in second quarter
Oh hi there William Powell! The preseason leader in rushing yards has provided a spark in the run game, as he picks up a first down and has the Cardinals at the 25.
3:11 left in second quarter
Defense comes alive and forces another three-and-out. Great punt is caught by Peterson at the Arizona 9, but he goes nowhere and that’s where the drive will begin.
Plenty of time to get another score here before the end of the half, and with Arizona getting the ball to start the third quarter that would be big. But also plenty of room for disaster, so we’ll see.
4:47 left in second quarter
Wow did the Cardinals need that!
Arizona puts a 10-play, 67-yard scoring drive together, culminating in a 9-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald.
Cardinals picked up some third downs, had some decent runs, and didn’t allow a suck. I know, I don’t believe it either.
Arizona jumps back on top 10-9.
10:25 left in second quarter
Cardinals get a big stop courtesy of Daryl Washington, who lined up in a safety spot and then charged up the field to make a tackle. Bills punt and the Cardinals have the ball on their own 33. Offense, anyone?
12:31 left in second quarter
I gave the Cardinals too much credit, as the drive instead ended at their 28. A few missed tackles lead to a solid return, and Buffalo has the ball at its 25.
13:47 left in second quarter
Cardinals force a three-and-out but a solid return by Patrick Peterson is wasted on a holding penalty. Cardinals will begin the drive at their 26 and likely end it somewhere near their 30.
End of first quarter
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Kevin Kolb takes a sack.
The Cardinals get a great catch from Michael Floyd to get to midfield, but the drive stalls and Arizona will punt it away. Down 9-3 at the end of 1, looks like the offense has picked up right where it left off in St. Louis.
3:35 left in first quarter
Cardinals will start the drive from their 20 trailing for the first time today. The offense has looked, in a word, terrible, and really needs something positive on this series.
3:35 left in first quarter
The Cardinals defense puts on a clinic of how not to stop anyone, as C.J. Spiller takes a carry 10 yards for a touchdown. Buffalo leads 9-3, and the stadium is fairly quiet.
8:36 left in first quarter
Cardinals take a penalty, which was called in Spanish, and then Kolb takes a sack in the end zone for a safety.
Supposedly Ron Wolfley is saying that one is on Kolb for not getting rid of the ball. What could have been a great start for the Cardinals has now turned into a very shaky one.
9:39 left in first quarter
Bills move the football but are forced to punt. Ball is downed on the Arizona 13 and the offense goes back to work. Need better than last time — like the Cardinals a week ago, an early lead could make the Bills one dimensional. That would be a good thing.
13:50 left in first quarter
Kolb misses a wide open Jeff King and then has his third down pass batted down at the line. Jay Feely comes on and nails a 49-yard field goal. Cards will be happy to take the lead early in this one, but wasted a good opportunity on that drive.
14:44 left in first quarter
Fred Jackson takes the first carry a couple yards before coughing up the football. Daryl Washington made the hit, William Gay recovered the ball. Cardinals have it at the Buffalo 33.
1:00 until kickoff
Cardinals win the coin toss and elect to defer. They’ll kickoff first and take the ball to begin the second half. Defense first, folks.
8:00 left until kickoff
Alright, done with lunch (omelette bar is always a nice touch) and ready for this game.
A couple of notes: QB John Skelton is active for the first time since injurying his ankle Week 1 against the Seahawks.
OK I lied, just one note.
Anyway, the Cardinals are being introduced and they are rocking their alternate black duds. It’s a solid look, even if it’s not “Classic Cardinals”.
